


Raven's Fall

by Kai_Maciel



Series: Phoenix Rising Series [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: BAMF Naruto, Best Friends, Gen, Illnesses, Mental Breakdown, Mental Health Issues, Mystery, Superior Naruto, Time Travel, Transformation, Unforgiving Naruto, sick Sasuke
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-06-18
Updated: 2015-09-04
Packaged: 2017-12-15 09:07:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 40,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/847765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kai_Maciel/pseuds/Kai_Maciel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After receiving Itachi's eyes, Sasuke awakes alone in an unknown cabin with no signs of Madara. On his way to Konoha, he's captured only to find out that the war ended years ago. What is happening to Sasuke? Why didn't he age? And who is this blond man?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Awakening

 

目覚め ( _Mezame_ )

Sasuke was sitting on a gurney in Madara's lab, massaging his temples. The operation to transplant Itachi's eyes didn't take a long time and the effect of the anesthesia was about to end.

Despite having his eyes blindfolded by bandages, Sasuke felt Madara getting closer to him.

"You need to rest for a while," the older Uchiha said. "It will take a while before you adjust to the Mangekyō. Does it hurt? "

Sasuke touched the bandages with his right hand and placed his left hand on the cold metal gurney in the laboratory.

"No..." the young raven replied with a smirk. "It's perfect ... I can feel Itachi's power. I can feel myself getting stronger...! "

Madara nodded and opened the door of the lab. Following only sounds, Sasuke followed him through the corridors of the hideout and entered a small room. When Madara closed the door, Sasuke walked until he found the bed and lay down.

The young Uchiha smiled at the thought of revenge. Very soon it would all be over. After years of suffering, his clan would be avenged and Konoha would disappear from the face of the earth. There was no one who could defeat him, and when Naruto was out of the way, his goal would finally be achieved.

Thinking about his former teammate, Sasuke gritted his teeth. He hated him! He hated him almost as much as he hated Konoha! Naruto had stood in his way too many times and it was about time to get rid of him. The damn fool still believed that they were friends and companions... he still believed there was a bond between them.

Just thinking about it, Sasuke felt sick!

Uzumaki Naruto had been nothing but a hindrance with no worth or talent. Nonetheless, he was a threat to eradicate. And Sasuke could not wait to see him defeated and killed at his feet.

"Soon I'll never have to see your fucking face ever again Naruto," Sasuke whispered through clenched teeth. "I will finish what I should have done years ago... you will die at last."

Still smirking, Sasuke fell asleep.

* * *

A red light woke him.

Sasuke groaned and got up slowly, causing the sheet that covered him to slip, revealing his naked torso. Massaging his face, the Uchiha realized he had no bandages on.

Remembering what had happened; Sasuke got out of bed and looked around. He was in a decrepit little room, only furnished with a bed, a chair and a full length mirror. The red light that came from a small window was the setting of the sun.

Sasuke frowned as he realized that he was nude. He could have sworn that he had some pants on when he had gone to sleep. Who would have dared to touch him while he slept? Worse! Who had taken his clothes?

Still thinking about it, Sasuke approached the mirror. As expected, there was nothing different about him. He saw only his reflection: a 16 year old pale and raven haired young man.

That was it! He could see! His vision was completely restored!

Summoning his chakra, Sasuke activated his Sharingan. Shortly thereafter; it became the Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan. The operation had worked.

Satisfied, Sasuke deactivated the Sharingan and was surprised by the wave of pain and nausea that it pierced through his body, forcing him to sit in the chair, panting.

"I need to train it..." the Uchiha muttered, hoping that the pain would ease.

There were clothes at the door. Curious, Sasuke stood up and took the garments. He was angry at not seeing the symbol of his clan embroidered on the back of his shirt, but it would have to work for now. The young ninja dressed quickly and left the room.

The first thing he realized was that he was not in Madara's hideout anymore. He was in an abandoned cabin which was practically falling apart. Leaving the door he saw an unknown forest and mountains. There were no signs of Uchiha Madara or any other member of Akatsuki.

"Madara!" Sasuke called. "Come out! We need to talk. "

Silence.

"Madara! Where did you take me? "Sasuke insisted. "Cut the stupid games and show yourself!"

Sasuke kept waiting but nothing happened. He was still alone in a deserted hut in the middle of nowhere.

 _Hmph. Never mind_ _... Madara already served his purpose,_ Sasuke thought, jumping to the nearest tree branch.  _With Itachi's eyes and powers, I'm powerful enough to destroy Konoha._

While jumping from tree to tree, Sasuke thought about what to do next. He would have to know where he was first. After getting some weapons and supplies, he would move on to Konoha.

And kill Naruto first.

Sasuke felt a presence, and stopped.

"Who's there?" he yelled to the trees. "Show yourself!"

Looking from one side to another, Sasuke saw someone emerge in the trunk of a tree not far from where he was standing. The man was tall and wore a black scarf that covered his face from his nose down. His blond hair waved in the breeze.

"Who are you?" Sasuke asked.

The blond man remained silent. Sasuke noticed that the ninja wore the symbol of Konoha in his Hitai-ate.

"Konoha, huh?" Sasuke teased with a sneer. "Very well. You shall be the first to suffer my revenge! "

Without warning, Sasuke jumped in the direction the ninja with his Chidori prepared for trespassing but the blond quickly moved and swerved, causing the Chidori to just cut the branch.

"Tsk" Sasuke muttered, returning to attack the blond man, but the latter was extremely agile and quick, avoiding all his attacks.

"Not bad," said Sasuke activating his Sharingan. "Consider yourself honored. I'll kill you using my clan's dojutsu."

However, even with the Sharingan, the blond ninja wasn't defeated. He deviated from all attacks and defended all the techniques that Sasuke used. Increasingly frustrated, Sasuke activated his new Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan and invoked the Susanoo and threw arrows against the blond.

 _Die! Why the hell_ _don't you die?_ Sasuke thought, furious for not getting the simple victory that he was expecting.

The blond man again avoided all attacks. It was as if he could foresee them.

"Who the hell are you?" Sasuke growled angrily.

The man remained silent. Determined to end that battle, Sasuke created a huge Amaterasu.

"DIE!" the raven growled, preparing to attack.

Suddenly, Sasuke stopped, causing the blond man to blink, confused. The Amaterasu was not fully formed and disappeared, like Susanoo.

Sasuke had never felt such pain in his life. It was like a thousand knives were stabbing his whole body. The young ninja grabbed his head, which ached as if it was about to explode.

"Ah... Ah... I... what...?" Sasuke mumbled before losing strength in his legs and fell on his knees.

"Sasuke!" someone shouted.

Sasuke felt that someone had grabbed him before he fell to the ground. Two arms grasped him by the chest and lay his head against an elbow. Although his vision was becoming increasingly blurred, Sasuke realized it had been the blond man who caught him, staring at him with his blue eyes full of concern.

"What...?" Sasuke muttered, as the headache became increasingly excruciating. "What's wrong with me?"

"Don't speak," the blond man said softly.

Sasuke raised his right hand and grabbed the scarf that covered the blond ninja's face, pulling it slowly.

"Who... Who are you?" Sasuke asked, losing consciousness.

When the scarf fell to the ground, Sasuke had already fainted.


	2. The Blond Man

金髪の男 ( _Kinpatsu no otoko_ )

_Above him, Sasuke could only see clear blue water moving away as he plunged deeper and deeper. Little by little, the water became darker until the blue was replaced by a cold gray._

_The cold was entrenched in his skin, his flesh and blood. Then the pain came... a pain so excruciating that made everything around him look red. Sasuke opened his mouth to scream but no sound came out. His body writhed in pain as he descended deeper._

_Part of him wanted to ask for help but he subdued that part. Nobody would come. He knew no one would save him and he always managed well on his own, he did not need anyone. Sasuke was strong, he could save himself._

_And his pride would never allow him to be saved by someone else._

_The pain increased and he felt himself being pulled deeper. Sasuke felt the panic build up painfully in his chest and a feeling he would never admit, even to himself._

_Fear_

* * *

A light woke Sasuke, making him squint. His whole body ached, his arms, legs, chest, back... but what bothered him most was a throbbing pain in his head that made him want to be unconscious, only to not feel it.

Slowly, Sasuke opened his swollen and red eyes with difficulty. When his vision became clear, he realized that the light came from a light bulb in the ceiling. He was lying in something soft and covered with a sheet and a blanket. There was something in the smell of the bedding that made him feel safe and comfortable but he could not understand why.

Ignoring these unnecessary thoughts, Sasuke tried to get up. Only very self-control prevented him from screaming with pain. It was as if all his muscles had been beaten. The most that Sasuke was able to was to sit down.

"You shouldn't move" a deep and unknown voice said.

Sasuke looked to the left. A young man sat in a chair near a window. Sasuke thought that man couldn't be many years older than him... he was tall, slender and slightly muscular; he had spiky blond hair to his neck and blue eyes. The same eyes that Sasuke saw before he collapsed.

The memories returned in a flash. Sasuke remembered the fight against the blond man, how the ninja avoided all his attacks and how he ended up fainting... in his arms.

"You!" the Uchiha cried.

Filled with rage, Sasuke jumped out of bed and prepared to attack. The pain was so strong that he was unable to suppress a scream. The young raven lost strength in his legs and fell back into bed, panting.

"I told you not to move" the blond man said, still seated in his chair and staring at Sasuke calmly.

Sasuke closed his eyes and tried to avoid howling with pain. He could not lift up without every move becoming a torture. He never felt a pain like this, even when using the Susanoo; the pain usually disappeared once the jutsu ended.

"What... did you do to me?" Sasuke asked gruffly, staring at the blond man with a gaze full of anger, pain and hatred.

"I didn't do anything" the man replied with the same calm voice tone.

"LIAR! You did something to me and now I cannot move! Spit it out!"

"The only thing I did was to bring you here" the blond man said. "Right now, you're in my living room."

Sasuke looked around and realized the table in the center of the room, sofas and a small closet full of books. He also noticed that his bed was actually a sofa bed.

"You fainted during our struggle," the blond man continued. "After that, I brought you into my house."

Sasuke stared at the man with a sneer.

"I suppose I should be grateful, eh?" Sasuke scoffed.

The blond man stood up and leaned against the wall. Behind him the rays of the sun had disappeared behind the mountains, it was almost dark.

"No. I don't expect gratitude from you" the blond replied.

Sasuke noticed the Hirai-hate in the man's forehead, almost hidden by his blond bangs, but the symbol of the leaf was still visible. As he remembered his old village, Sasuke gritted his teeth.

"What the hell do you want from me?" Sasuke asked. "Who are you?"

"It doesn't matter."

"You are a Konoha shinobi. Do you know who I am?"

"You're Uchiha Sasuke" the man replied, although there was a slight hesitation before speaking.

"If you know who I am then you also know that I've defected from Konoha" Sasuke said, trying to ignore the growing headache.

"I know you want to destroy Konoha" the blond man said without losing his cool. "I know you want to avenge your clan by killing all the villagers. You want to avenge the sad life and death of your brother Itachi. "

Sasuke blinked. He did not expect the ninja to know that much. Obviously, his old team would have informed every one of his objectives.

"If you know that then you really are an idiot" Sasuke said, staring at the man with contempt. "You should have killed me when you had the chance."

The blond closed his eyes and sighed before turning to stare at the young Uchiha.

"Killing an unconscious opponent is loathsome" the Konoha ninja said. "That's not how I was raised."

Sasuke laughed. It was a laugh of derision, contempt and slightly crazy.

"Another idiot... I'm always being chased by idiots who believe that their precious village is a haven of virtues. Don't mock me! Konoha is a hotbed of intrigues and lies. You have sacrificed my clan and my parents to get your damn peace and used my brother as executioner of his own family! So don't speak of loathsome! You're the ones who deserve contempt!"

The blond man's blue eyes were hard. Strangely, Sasuke felt frozen inside.

"Your brother made his decision," said the ninja. "He could have refused the mission; he could have allied himself to the clan and overthrow Konoha."

Those words made Sasuke's sneer fade.

"Shut up! You know nothing! My brother was forced by the elders... by Danzo! They used his ideals of peace to make him kill his own clansmen!"

"Itachi loved Konoha, he loved peace... He wanted to believe that your clan was honest and honorable. When he discovered that your father wanted to overthrow Konoha and incite a civil war, he was shattered and very disappointed. "

Sasuke remembered when Itachi had thrown a kunai against the symbol of the clan in front of their father and other members of the police.

_"I've had enough; there is no hope for this pathetic clan."_

Refusing to accept the man's words, Sasuke buried himself in his familiar hatred.

"Don't you dare talk about Itachi. Konoha always despised my clan! They were afraid of our skills... they knew that we are superior! So they left us out and rejected us. But soon it will all end. When I kill you and destroy Konoha, the name of the Uchiha will finally be cleansed."

The blond continued to look at him without showing any emotion.

"Are you saying you will destroy Konoha on your own?"

"Do not underestimate the power of the Uchiha" Sasuke said with a sneer. "My strength is more than enough."

"Fool."

Sasuke blinked in surprise and his smile faded. The blond man spoke softly but his eyes were cold and hard. The way he looked at him, made Sasuke feel oddly small and frail.

 _"What is this feeling?"_  the Uchiha thought.

"You think you can you destroy Konoha alone? You think you're strong enough to kill all the ninjas who will defend the village with their lives?"

Sasuke regained his composure and tried to ignore the pain.

"I killed Danzo... alone! I don't need anyone to kill those insects that are much weaker than he."

The man continued to stare at Sasuke. The more the Uchiha looked at the man's face, the more it seemed that he had seen him somewhere before.

"Imagine you could do it," the blond man said. "Imagine you destroyed Konoha and killed everyone: the ninjas, the students at the Academy, your former colleagues, your former sensei and your former teammates, the civilians... everyone to the last child. You really think this would end? If you attack Konoha, Suna would intervene and attack you. "

"I'll kill them too!" Sasuke said immediately. Anyway, he was eager to kill Gaara too; he would never forget the humiliation of being defeated by him just so he was defeated by Naruto instead.

"You are an international criminal" the blond said. "You attacked the Kages during the summit. Even if you destroy Konoha, all other villages... all nations will try to kill you. The whole world is against you. "

Sasuke suppressed the tiny tip of fear he felt.

"That's why I allied myself with the Akatsuki" the young Uchiha shot back. "Madara takes care of the rest!"

For the first time, the blond man appeared annoyed.

"Uchiha Madara is dead."

Sasuke's eyes widened.

"What?"

"Madara is dead. He died during the war... Akatsuki disappeared with him. "

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke yelled, enraged. "The war has not even started. Do you expect me to believe these lies?"

The blond man shrugged indifferently.

"Believe what you want. I won't waste my breath trying to convince you. But I can tell you that the war is finished and that Madara and the rest of the Akatsuki were eliminated... almost six years ago. "

Sasuke gaped for a few seconds, but regained his composure quickly.

"That lie is ridiculous" the Uchiha said. "You could have made up a more believable fable. If you expect me to believe in you, you are more stupid than I thought."

"Whatever."

Sasuke was losing his patience. The indifference of the man was... disturbing.

"I don't care about the Akatsuki" Sasuke said. "As long as I can destroy Konoha, nothing really interests me. I don't need anybody. "

The blond ninja sighed.

"Very well... you don't need anybody" the blond said. "People are just disposable objects to you. You got rid of Orochimaru once you learned everything you could from him. You forsaken Taka by the time you thought they were a burden to your ambitions and you planned to kill Madara as soon as he helped you get the power you sought after and helped you to destroy Konoha. "

The man's voice was calm and collected, but his eyes were unforgiving. Sasuke experienced again that feeling of weakness and timidity... It was like he was getting a lecture from a parent.

The headache increased again, causing Sasuke to close his eyes. Suddenly he felt a strong desire to curl up against the bed in an attempt to escape that man's words.

"Shut up..."

"Power and arrogance have blinded you" the blond man continued. "Just like your hatred. Your goal is futile; you will never get what you really want. "

"I told you to stop talking" Sasuke said. The pain was getting worse and worse.

"What you really want is your family back, but it won't happen. You can kill whoever you want... you can destroy the entire world that it will never bring them back. "

"Shut your mouth!"

"You're expecting to get peace of mind when your family is avenged. That won't happen... You're gonna be empty because you threw out everything and everyone to get the power you wanted to have your revenge. You've got nothing left! You have no friends, you have no allies, you have no home, no family... you have nothing. "

"Shut the fuck up! Shut up! "

"You're less than human. You're a weapon ready to be discarded when its purpose ends. You're nothing but a puppet controlled by your emotions. Madara only had to press the right buttons and you acted exactly as he wanted. He tamed you like one of his falcons."

"Shut up!" Sasuke yelled.

The blond man continued to stare at him coldly.

"You  _are_ nothing."

Like a rabid animal, Sasuke threw himself against the blond man. To his amazement and horror, the shinobi grabbed him with great ease and pushed him against the wall, holding his arms behind his back and immobilizing him.

"I'll kill you!" Sasuke growled. The pain he felt was unbearable but not as much as his injured pride. "I'll fucking kill you!"

"You may be stubborn but you're not stupid" the blond man said. "You should know that you are not able to attack me, much less defeat me. In your condition, even an Academy student could beat you! "

"Fuck you!"

The blond ninja continued to press Sasuke against the wall, even though he could never fight back. The young Uchiha was exhausted from just getting up.

"Why don't you kill me?" Sasuke asked, trying to look at his captor. "I am a threat to your village. Why don't you kill me when you have the chance. "

"I told you once and I repeat: I do not attack wounded and sick ninjas. When you are healed, we can fight. "

"Stupid loser" Sasuke sneered with a grin. "You're making a big mistake to underestimate the power of Uchiha, Konoha's dog."

The blond man remained impassive.

"Believe me, I won't underestimate you. I never underestimated you... I always knew how great you are. But you can be sure of one thing... I won't let you demean me. Never again. "

The anger and contempt in Sasuke's black eyes were replaced by surprise. The blond man's voice had become very familiar. For the first time, he noticed closely the blond hair; the deep blue eyes... the whisker marks on the cheeks.

_"_ _It can't be..."_

The realization hit Sasuke.

"Naruto?"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the blond man's identity was revealed. I am aware that Naruto is a bit OOC in here, but there's a reason for that. To those like me who got fed up with Sasuke constantly putting Naruto down, this will be very pleasing. I would say Naruto's Namikaze genes are being revealed here, if he wants he can be very cold. But don't worry, it won't be for a long time.
> 
> Also, Naruto is 22 in here, while Sasuke is still 16.
> 
> I hoped you liked it and feel free to review.


	3. Stranger

見知らぬ人 ( _Mishiranu hito_ )

"Naruto?" Sasuke asked.

The blond man's eyes widened slightly, but kept the pressure on the young Uchiha's arms, pressing him against the white wall of the living room.

Sasuke turned his neck and tried to stare at the blond man more closely. Suddenly, his lips curled into a sneer.

"This Transformation Jutsu is pathetic" Sasuke said with his eyes filled with arrogance.

The blond ninja blinked.

"Transformation Jutsu?"

"You should have done a better search," Sasuke continued. "Naruto looks nothing like you. If you think you can intimidate me with a cheap jutsu like that, you are sadly mistaken. For starters, you got his age completely wrong. "

The ninja sighed slowly.

"I'm not using any jutsu. You can believe what you see or not. The choice is yours. "

Sasuke's smile disappeared as he felt the anger and confusion build up inside him. Gathering what little chakra he could, the Uchiha activated the Sharingan for a few seconds before it vanished due to an immense pain in his eyes, making him groan.

However, he could see that the ninja in front of him wasn't using any jutsu or illusion. He was completely real.

"You can't be..." Sasuke whispered. "You can't be Naruto! I just saw him!"

The blond ninja looked Sasuke in the eyes calmly.

"That's the last thing you remember?" the shinobi asked. "When we met after you tried to kill Sakura-chan? After I said that if we fought again, we would both die?"

Sasuke was baffled. How he could he know all that?

"Naruto?"

Sasuke's legs lost their strength and he fell on the floor, leaning against the wall, wheezing. Naruto dropped his arm, but stayed where he was, with his blue eyes fixed on his former teammate.

Sasuke tried to recover his breath and looked at Naruto. The dobe he knew was no longer a boy, but a man. Sasuke had always been taller but Naruto was, at least, a head taller than him now. His arms had become more muscular and his face lost all his baby fat. His blue eyes were the same though, but seemed older… and colder.

"What have you done?" Sasuke asked, gruffly. "What the hell happened to you?"

Naruto remained impassive.

"I grew up," he replied bluntly. "Time goes by and people grow and change. You should know this better than anyone."

"You expect me to believe you grew up like that overnight?"

"It's been six years."

Sasuke lifted his head, meeting Naruto's face. He looked for a sign, even the smallest, which proved that Naruto was lying. But the blonds' gaze didn't waver one bit.

"You're lying. Why should I believe anything you say?" Sasuke replied with an angry voice tone. "How dare you try to trick me with such a ridiculous lie? Do not take me for a fool, Naruto... or whoever you are. "

"Whatever." Naruto replied with a lack of interest.

Naruto's eyes were cold as ice, a gaze that Sasuke had never seen in his former teammate. Anger, pain, hate... but never that cold indifference. He stared at Sasuke as if he was worthless, as if he was insignificant...

As if he didn't mean anything to him.

With a lot of effort, Sasuke managed to get up on his feet. In exasperation, he realized he had to look up to find Naruto's face, which only infuriated him further. The hatred he felt for the blond emanated from him like waves.

"Who do you think you are, you shithead bastard? You know nothing about me!"

"I know more than you imagine."

"Fuck you!"

"If you think swearing makes you look more mature, you are very mistaken," Naruto said. "You sound like a pitiful spoiled brat."

About to burst with rage, Sasuke tried to steal a kunai from Naruto's pouch, but his movements were too slow and the blond grabbed his arms again and pulled him violently against the wall, facing him.

"Shit!" Sasuke growled. "Fucking son of a bitch! You fucktard! "

"Know your limits," Naruto said. "You ought to know it's a waste of time."

Sasuke's head was spinning, but he struggled to keep his composure and stared at Naruto with derision.

"The result will be the same" Sasuke whispered. "Even if Madara is dead, I'll follow this path. I will destroy Konoha and I'm gonna destroy you, Naruto. Nothing you do or say can change me."

Naruto's hands continued to thrust Sasuke's arms against the wall, but his face showed no emotion or the slightest interest in the Uchiha's words.

"I won't try to change you," Naruto explained. "I will not try to convince you to change or return to Konoha. I won't ask you to come back to our team. You don't belong there anymore."

The aloofness in Naruto's voice surprised Sasuke. The last time he had seen him, Naruto had told him that he was glad to have met him... that he was his friend.

Had Naruto finally given up? Had he finally accepted that the bond that united them no longer existed?

_Is he finally leaving me alone?_

Sasuke smiled spitefully.

"It seems you finally got it. You were slow... but you finally realized we're no longer friends."

Naruto continued to gaze at Sasuke without reacting.

"I wouldn't hesitate a second to kill you, Naruto. Or Sakura or Kakashi. You all are nothing but obstacles in my way," Sasuke continued to smirk. "So spare me your pretty speeches about friendship. They mean nothing to me!"

"You're right. We are not friends or companions..." Naruto replied calmly. "There is no bond between us."

Sasuke was expecting anger or hatred. He expected Naruto to scream, cry and try to oppose him, not look at him with that cold and apathetic attitude.

_So you have given up._

"It's about time you understood," the Uchiha said.

"I don't care about you."

Sasuke blinked.

"Not a single person in this world cares about you," Naruto continued, ruthless. "No one needs you. We all moved on with our lives and erased you from our memory. Your existence is unnecessary. "

"Why… why should I care?" replied Sasuke.

_Shut up…_

"I've had enough. I'm sick of you," Naruto said.

_Stop it!_

"Everyone is tired of you and your stupid revenge."

_I don't wanna hear you._

"We don't fear you. We don't even pity you."

_Silence_ _._

"You're so annoying."

Sasuke was stunned, but pulled himself together as anger overlapped the distress. Naruto was treating him like he was trash. No one had ever put him down, and those who did ended up dead.

" _Annoying?_ You dare call me annoying? "Sasuke yelled. "Who the fuck you think you are? Don't you dare judge me! What the fuck do you know? I lost everything! I lost my parents... my brother... my clan... because of your damn village!"

"Spare me that story. It's really getting old. "

"SON OF A BITCH!"

Sasuke tried to get rid of Naruto's hands. Choleric as he was, he could bite Naruto to kill him. Instead, Naruto grabbed his neck with one hand.

Sasuke's eyes widened.

"You think you know everything, don't you?" Naruto said with sternness. "You think that Tobi told you the whole truth? You choose to believe in him, the man who helped wipe out your clan, than in the words of your own brother. Damn… You're so stupid. "

"S-Shut up..." Sasuke murmured. "Konoha assumed that the Kyuubi was controlled by an Uchiha! They put us aside like criminals and looked at us with contempt and distrust based on prejudice! "

Naruto's eyes hardened.

"The Kyuubi was a natural occurrence," Sasuke continued. "They blamed us because they want to believe..."

"My mother was the former Kyuubi Jinchūriki," Naruto interrupted sharply.

Sasuke's angry gaze was replaced by shock.

"What?"

"My mother, Uzumaki Kushina, was the second Jinchūriki the Kyuubi" Naruto said coldly. "The first Jinchūriki was Uzumaki Mito, the first Hokage's wife."

Sasuke looked at Naruto puzzled. That couldn't be true. The Kyuubi was a natural catastrophe, it had happen before. Madara had told him…

"That's a lie..."  _it had to be a lie._

"Mito became the first Jinchūriki after Madara tried to destroy the village and kill the First Hokage. After that, the Kyuubi was always under Konoha's control. The Uzumaki clan members...  _my_   _clan_ , were known for their vitality and Fuinjutsu. Do you think the Fox's attack was a coincidence? Tobi knew the day that a Jinchūriki gives birth is when the seal is weaker. The day I was born. "

Naruto's hand began to squeeze Sasuke's throat and lifted him into the air. Sasuke tried to free himself, but in vain.

"My parents died that day because of the greed of a member of  _your_  family," Naruto said coldly. "You had your parents for 7 years... I've had mine for a miserable few minutes!  _You think that's fair?_ "

Naruto pulled out a kunai from his pocket and approached it to the young Uchiha's neck. Sasuke was truly scared now. Naruto was furious. He could really…

"You're the one who knows nothing," Naruto continued, starting to squeeze Sasuke's neck tighter. "The day of my birth should have been the beginning of my life, but Tobi ruined it. I lost my parents who loved me... my own father was forced to make me a Jinchūriki to protect the village. What do you know about pain and loneliness? You always had someone who loved you, while I was despised by everyone for something I didn't even do. Do you know how it is to grow up surrounded by people who deny your right to exist? No. Because you always had everything and I had nothing!"

Naruto clenched his fist around Sasuke's throat, causing him to gasp. His black eyes, filled with panic, were fixed on Naruto.

 _He's gonna_ _kill me,_ thought the Uchiha.  _He's serious. He's really going to kill me._

"Maybe you're right," Naruto said emotionlessly. "A member of the Uchiha clan ruined my life. You are the last Uchiha alive; if I kill you I'll finally avenge my parents' deaths. You'll pay for my mother's tears, my father's sorrow... and everything will be okay again. "

As Naruto's fingers closed around his throat, Sasuke's vision was getting blurred due to lack of oxygen. His entire body begged for a little air.

 _I'm going to_ _die,_ Sasuke thought.  _He is killing me... I'm going to die..._

Suddenly, the pressure on Sasuke's throat disappeared and he fell to the ground, panting. Naruto took two steps, but continued to stare at Sasuke calmly and with the same dull expression on his face.

Sasuke touched his bruised and sore throat lightly, and looked at Naruto.

"Why didn't you... kill me?"

"Kill you would be meaningless," said the blond. "It won't change anything."

Naruto walked to the living room door.

"Lie down and rest," Naruto said quietly.

"What is your problem?" Sasuke yelled, furious and, although he hated to admit it, scared. "Why are you keeping me here? What the hell do you want from me?"

"I want nothing. You have nothing to give... Sasuke is dead," Naruto said, turning to Sasuke with contempt. "I delivered your katana and told the Hokage that you died. Sasuke died for all of us. Sasuke's dead to me. You're not Sasuke... the Sasuke who was my friend, who I wanted to save... is gone."

A drop of sweat trickled down the cheek of Sasuke.

"I have no idea you who are, Uchiha." Naruto turned his back and walked out the door, closing it with the key.

Sasuke tried to get up, but realized that his body was too exhausted and sore to even try to escape. Slowly, he walked to the bed and lay on the blanket with one arm over his eyes. The headache returned in waves of pain.

The raven could hear the sound of footsteps upstairs and the sound of wood crackling. Naruto was also lying in his bed.

To Naruto, Sasuke died. His precious friend and teammate didn't exist anymore. The person in his living room was a stranger.

Sasuke had wished for Naruto to stop bothering him, and leave him alone. He wanted Naruto to understand that he wasn't his friend. He left the team because they weren't what sought after. Uchiha Sasuke didn't want a future or a life, even less  _a family_ , with them. His life, his whole being, belonged to his clan. And now, Naruto had finally severed the bond he had despised for so long. Now, he was truly alone.

_This is what I wanted._

Sasuke cringed against the sheets, trying to ignore the confusing weight he felt in his chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Sasuke wanted to sever his bond with Naruto and the village, and he got it. I always wondered how Sasuke would react to Naruto's comtempt. If Sasuke hates the entire village because the elders decided to wipe out his clan, then it's fair for Naruto to hate the Uchiha because Tobi ruined his life.
> 
> I know Naruto would never blame Sasuke, so don't worry. I have something up my sleeve.
> 
> Thanks for reading.


	4. Fire with Fire

火災と火災  _(Kasai to kasai)_  


Sasuke didn't eat for three days.

During his first night, after Naruto had locked him in the living room, the young raven was able to sleep a few hours, only to wake up filled with pain and nausea. The next morning, he pretended he was asleep when Naruto opened the living room door; put a bowl of breakfast on the ground, two packets of pills on the table and a few changes of clothes, leaving without saying a word.

Sasuke ignored them all. An hour later, Naruto came back and took the platter of not eaten food. The same thing happened at lunch and dinner, but Sasuke refused to eat whatever Naruto brought.

During the night, the Uchiha realized Naruto had left his room door open. Trying not to stumble, Sasuke left the living room. The stairs upstairs should lead to Naruto's room, so the young shinobi went down the wooden stairs noiselessly.

The ground floor was set up by the kitchen and a bathroom with a tub and shower. After washing his sweaty face and relieve himself, Sasuke found that all possible exits, windows and doors were completely sealed, there was no way to leave the house.

Too tired to get angry, Sasuke returned to the living room and lay down. He thought about taking one of the sleeping pills, but refused to give up to Naruto. He also disregarded the painkiller.

The next day, Naruto just gave him lunch and dinner. As usual, Sasuke refused to eat. On the third day, Naruto didn't bring him anything.

Sasuke was suffering excruciating pain. Every bone in his body ached and he felt that his head was going to explode at any second. Still, he was a ninja, and didn't cry a single whimper.

Lack of sleep only worsened his condition. Confusing and painful nightmares wouldn't let him sleep more than two to three hours per night and none during the day.

On several occasions, he felt dizzy and fainted for several minutes, but ended up dragging himself back to the living room.

Noticing the open door, Sasuke began to venture out during the day around the house. He never went up the stairs, where Naruto was in his room, just the ground floor to go to the toilet and drink water.

When he and Naruto met in the hallway, the blond would simply go through him as if Sasuke wasn't even there. If Sasuke came into the kitchen, Naruto would come out immediately, if he called the blond, he'd pretend that he hadn't heard him.

When Naruto  **did**  speak to him, he never called him by his first name anymore, only  _"you"_  and  _"Uchiha."_

Sasuke would have accepted contempt and hatred without any problem. Those feelings had never really bothered him. It was easy to build a wall around yourself and not bother with the other people's emotions. After all, he had done it all his life. But he wasn't used to absolute indifference.

It felt as if Sasuke was dead.

One afternoon, Sasuke was trying to sleep a few hours when he heard voices in the garden. Peeking out the window, he saw Naruto talking to a redhead, more or less of his age. By noticing the dark circles around the eyes and the tattoo on his forehead, Sasuke recognized the Kazekage of Sunagakure, Gaara.

Like Naruto, Gaara had grown and matured like a true adult shinobi. Seeing them both, the Uchiha felt oddly childish and immature. Naruto didn't lie when he said that six years had passed. Everybody had aged… except for him.

Sasuke hadn't aged a day. It was as if his body had been trapped in time. Some time ago, it would not have bothered him the least. As long as he got his revenge, he didn't care about what would happen to his body, he'd sacrificed it willingly for his goals. But, at that moment, he felt overcome by a strange feeling of envy. It was as if everyone had moved on while he stayed behind.

Gaara lifted his light eyes toward the window and stared at Sasuke, shortly after, Naruto followed his example. Naruto's blue eyes were focused on Sasuke's face for no more than a few seconds before the two ninja turned their backs and disappeared out of his sight on purpose.

The Uchiha gritted teeth.

When Gaara was gone, Naruto walked quietly into home, faced with a raging raven on top of the stairs. Unfazed, Naruto went through Sasuke but the latter blocked his path.

"What the hell were you two talking?" the black-haired shinobi growled.

Naruto looked up.

"Get out of my way, Uchiha," Naruto answered dangerously.

Sasuke gulped, but glared at Naruto with his onyx eyes.

"Were you planning how you're gonna execute me?" Sasuke continued, shaking with anger. "Are you waiting for the best time to make it a public show?"

Naruto remained silent.

"You want to get into the good graces of the villages, right?" Sasuke said with a sneer. "The hero responsible for killing the Konoha's traitor would immediately be considered a candidate for Hokage."

"As I told you," Naruto said. "I have already given your chokuto to Tsunade Baa-chan. You have been declared dead for years. I have no interest in execute you in public. "

"Why the hell did you do that?" the raven demanded to know. "Why did you say I died?"

"It's none of your business, Uchiha. Now, move."

Sasuke came down the stairs and prevented Naruto from going up.

"What the fuck are you planning? Think you're so smart now, eh, Naruto? You may have grown a few inches, but it doesn't change anything! You're a loser! A pathetic loser! And you always will be!"

Naruto sighed slowly.

"I'll kill you," the raven continued. "I'll kill you and destroy everything you stand for. I'll break any connection between the Uchiha and your damn village for good! My clan will be cleansed!"

"You are so naive..."

Sasuke blinked.

"Wha…?"

"Don't you get it, Uchiha?" Naruto continued. "Your plan has failed. You didn't cleanse the Uchiha name. You've dishonored your clan's name for all eternity. Thanks to your criminal acts, the Uchiha will forever be remembered as power-hungry and corrupt scum. Not only Konoha, everyone despises the loathsome thrash that your clan was. Thanks to you, everybody thinks they got exactly what they deserved."

"Shut up!"

"Itachi sacrificed his life, his reputation and his health because he believed the brother he loved was better than the clan members that he had the misfortune to be born in. What a great disappointment, you turned out to be scum like them all... "

"Shut your fucking mouth, Naruto!" Sasuke growled. "Don't you dare talk about Itachi! He loved me! HE LOVED ME! HE LOVED ME MORE THAN YOUR GODDAMN VILLAGE! "

"Yes," Naruto nodded. "He loved you. He loved you so much that he couldn't bring himself to kill you for the village" Naruto walked up to Sasuke and whispered in a voice cold. "But not enough to not get someone else to stop you from destroying Konoha."

Sasuke's dark eyes widened impossibly in shock and disbelief.

_"No_ _..."_

"Itachi met me before you two fought ..."

"No ..."

"He asked me what I would do if you attacked Konoha ..."

"No ... he wouldn't..."

"He knew Tobi could very easily corrupt you, despite all his efforts ..."

"Shut up!"

"Itachi knew you would ignore his wishes. You were a mistake."

"Lies!"

Naruto's blue eyes darkened.

"Your brother asked me if I could kill you."

"LIAR! YOU ARE A LIAR! IT'S NOT TRUE! NO! NO! NO! "Sasuke yelled in hysteria."I DON'T BELIEVE YOU! LIAR! MOTHERFUCKING LIAR... "

The slap echoed down the hall when Naruto's hand crashed loudly against Sasuke's left cheek, silencing him completely. The black eyes of the Uchiha widened and the latter took his hand to his red and sore face, still in shock over what had happened.

Naruto continued to stare at the raven ninja, undisturbed.

"You're an eyesore," the blond said, going through Sasuke.

Sasuke stood still, with one hand over his red and hot cheek.

Before climbing the stairs to his room, Naruto stopped, still with his back to the Uchiha.

"I wish you had never been born," Naruto said, walking up the stairs and shutting himself in his room.

* * *

The rain fell throughout the afternoon. Sasuke remained under the sheets, trying to warm his cold hands and feet. When he breathed, small clouds of steam left his mouth and nostrils.

After the "incident" with Naruto, Sasuke locked himself in the room and refused to leave. Hatred, humiliation and anger were disappearing, giving way to despair and sorrow. Everything ached: his body, his head... and heart.

The same as a child, he curled up against the bed and hugged himself, trying to ignore the sadness and angst.

_**"Power and arrogance have blinded you"** _

" _ **You've got nothing left! You have no friends, you have no allies, you have no home, no family... you have nothing.**_ _ **"**_  


"Urrrg…"

_**"You're less than human. You're a weapon ready to be discarded when its purpose ends. You're nothing but a puppet controlled by your emotions."** _

"Stop it..."

  
_**"I won't try to change you. I will not try to convince you to change or return to Konoha. I won't ask you to come back to our team.** _ _**You don't belong there anymore."** _   


_**"No one needs you. We all moved on with our lives and erased you from our memory. Your existence is unnecessary. "** _

"Stop it… stop…"

With an almost superhuman effort, Sasuke got up and walked out the sofa bed, wincing as his feet touched the cold wood. He was thirsty and hungry. Without Naruto founding out, he would go to the kitchen and eat something in secret.

Opening the door and walking down the stairs quietly, Sasuke walked to the kitchen. The house was silent, except for the sound of the steady rain, cold and dark.

When Sasuke opened the kitchen door, he stopped on his tracks. Naruto was at the table, eating a cup of Instant Ramen. His blue eyes stood up for a few brief seconds and settled in Sasuke's face, before turning to focus on his Ramen.

Embarrassed, Sasuke continued to watch Naruto, but the blond continued to pretend he didn't exist.

 _It's like I'm dead,_ the Uchiha thought, trying to ignore the painful emptiness he felt in his chest. He would never admit it, but he'd rather be hated than... this.

As the blond did not react, Sasuke went to the refrigerator. It was the first time he really looked inside the kitchen.

As he moved, he stopped, dumbfounded. The metal surface was filled with children's drawings stuck by magnets. There should be dozens of them, of all colors and shapes. There were also some report cards of a very young child. The kanji were clumsy and poorly drawn, but several reports had yellow stars, showing that the child had done well in school.

However, what caught Sasuke's attention was a card in the middle of the fridge. On one side of the card, was a draw of a cup of Ramen, on the other, was written with a clumsy calligraphy of a child:

**私はパパを愛して**

_(Ore wa papa o aishite)_

_I love you, Papa_ _._

Papa…

Sasuke's long pale fingers touched the card slowly, almost timid. His dark eyes could not divert from those words.

Naruto just ate his Ramen and stared at Sasuke.

"Who...?" The Uchiha muttered, almost inaudibly. "Who did this?"

Naruto threw the empty packet of Ramen for the dustbin.

"Who did this, Naruto?" Sasuke asked again.

Naruto looked down.

"My son."

Sasuke stared at Naruto with wide eyes.

"Son?" the raven gasped. "You have a son?"

The idea was so ridiculous that Sasuke almost wanted to laugh. Suddenly, his pale lips curled into a sneer.

"Where is he, Naruto?" the dark-haired ninja asked. "You're crazy if you think I'm not going to use him as a weapon against you. I wouldn't hesitate to cut his throat in front of you. Where did you hide him, huh? "

Instead of answering, Naruto got up from his chair, went through Sasuke and left the room in silence. Leaving Sasuke alone, with a horrible feeling in his chest. Losing his desire to drink, he returned to the living room.

A few minutes later, Sasuke heard noise in the kitchen. Curious, he went back down the stairs and peered through the door.

Naruto was taking all the drawings of the refrigerator door and placing them in a cardboard box.

Sasuke remained stagnant at the doorway, with his heart so tight on his chest that he thought he'd explode. Why was Naruto taking the drawings? Why? It made no sense... Hadn't they been made by his son? Didn't he like them? Why was he taking them away as if they meant nothing?

Why did Sasuke felt so grief-stricken?

Why?

Why?

Why?

Naruto removed the final drawing and closed cardboard box, putting it on the kitchen floor. He had been aware of Sasuke's presence, but he ignored it and left the room.

"What are you doing?" Sasuke asked harshly.

Naruto began to climb the stairs.

"Are you throwing them away?" the young raven growled.

Naruto climbed two steps and stagnated.

"Mind your own business," the blond turned to Sasuke with a frosty gaze. "And stay out of my sight, Uchiha."

_**"I've had enough. I'm sick of you"** _

_**"You're an eyesore"** _

_**"I wish you had never been born"** _

Something inside of Sasuke broke out at the moment. The Uchiha forgot his self-control, his coolness, and all his plans against Konoha crumbled as he was filled with an indescribable despair.

The raven threw himself against Naruto and stuck his nails in his arms, then pushed him down the stairs until the blond hit his back against the wall of the corridor, with Sasuke still sticking his nails in his skin, causing several drops of blood to flow through his hands.

"I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! STOP IT!" Sasuke growled, punching Naruto in the chest and gut. "STOP! STOP! STOP!

Naruto remained impassive as Sasuke punched and scratched him.

"Is that the best you can do? You really are pitiful, Uchiha..."

"STOP CALLING ME UCHIHA!"

Naruto blinked.

Several thick tears started running down the raven's face, while the latter continued to yell with increasing weariness in his voice. His words swallowed by his sobs.

"STOP IT, NARUTO... STOP DOING THIS... I… I can't… take anymore..."

Naruto's face softened and he let Sasuke continue to hit him.

"Stop ... just stop!" Sasuke continued, panting and sobbing more and more.

Finally, Sasuke no longer had the strength to continue to beat him and slid to the ground, making Naruto slip against the wall with him until they were both on the ground: Naruto sitting and leaning against the wall and Sasuke kneeling between his legs.

Sasuke didn't know what was happening to him. He felt so humiliated, exhausted, scared, lost and so... so alone. It was as if something was very wrong with him, but he could not understand why. All he wanted was to make the pain go away.

Turning his face from Naruto, Sasuke bit his lower lip to stifle the sobs and trying not to whimper anymore. When two warm hands were rested on his shoulders and pushed him against Naruto's chest, the Uchiha's eyes widened.

"Let it all out..." Naruto said softly. "All the anger, sorrow and pain... everything that lies inside. Let it out…"

With his lips trembling, Sasuke could take no more. He opened his mouth and cried desperately. Naruto remained silent, pressing Sasuke's body against his as the raven wept, clutching Naruto's shirt and burying his face in his chest.

Sasuke cried for what seemed like an eternity. Strangely, as the anger and hatred gave way to sadness and despair, the emptiness in his chest became more bearable. Stranger still was the absence of shame he felt for being held like a child, crying in Naruto's arms. Rather, he felt safe and comfortable...

When the rain stopped, several red sunbeams came through the windows, illuminating the hallway of flushed orange.

Even after he stopped crying, Sasuke stood leaning against Naruto for some time. He hadn't felt human touch for so long that he had forgotten how it felt like.

"Naruto...?" Sasuke muttered under his breath.

"Hm?"

"I can't move my arms," Sasuke said, trying to move. "I also don't feel my legs..."

"Okay," replied the blond, and without hesitation, took Sasuke in his arms and went upstairs with him.

Sasuke was too stunned and tired to speak, so he put his head between Naruto's shoulder and neck. When they reached the living room, Naruto landed the raven ninja gently on the sofa bed and snuggled him in the sheets and blanket. After that, he left the room briefly, returning with a glass of milk.

Raising Sasuke's head, Naruto made him drink several gulps of milk and a sleeping pill.

"This will help you rest," the blond said, as Sasuke's eyes closed slowly. "Try to sleep. Okay, Sasuke?"

Increasingly drowsy, Sasuke's lips trembled almost imperceptibly.

 _You called me_ _... Sasuke again..._ he thought, finally falling asleep.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I always thought Sasuke was the kinda of guy who would rather be hated than ignored. He seems to hate being invisible.


	5. Nervous Breakdown

神経衰弱  _(Shinkei suijaku)_  


_Sasuke felt the waters become increasingly darker as he plunged. The light from the surface had be_ _come so faint that it didn't even seem real anymore._

  
_**"I found you** _ _**..."** _   


_The voice came out of nowhere._

_"Who ...?"_

  
_**"It t** _ _**ook awhile ... but I knew I'd eventually find you."** _   


_"Who are you?"_

  
_**"Do you w** _ _**ant to be strong? A ninja so strong and powerful that nobody can ever defeat you?"** _   


_"Strong?"_

  
_**"If that's what you** _ _**want ... I can make your wish come true."** _   


_Sasuke continued to plunge into the shadowy water_ _s._

_**"You just have to let the darkness consume you."** _

_Sasuke's body finally hit_ _the bottom._

  
_**"Accept your darkness** _ _**... your hatred… and you will be powerful forever."** _   


_The young man looked around. His body had landed in a cluster of corpses whose hair and clothes rippled gently in the dark waters. Looking left, Sasuke recognized the long,_ _undulating black hair of Uchiha Mikoto. On top of her, was the pale and lifeless body of Uchiha Fugaku._

_His parents._

_Sasuke kept staring at them. They were dead, he knew it, but it seemed like they were just sleeping in those waters._

_In the corner of his eye, Sasuke saw a move to his right. Turning his head, he saw a young man with black hair tied with a horse-tail, sitting beside his. The man looked up and then looked at Sasuke._

_Nii-san..._

_Itachi watched his younger brother impassively. Sasuke tried to open his mouth to speak to him, but realized that wasn't possible._

_They were all there; his parents, his brother, his clan… together... forever in darkness. Nothing would ever change ... they would be all in an eternal sleep._

_Suddenly, Itachi looked away and threw himself up. Sasuke reached out and grabbed the sleeve of his shirt. Itachi turned to stare at his brother. His eyes were sad._

_"Stay..." Sasuke thought, but Itachi shook his head gently._

_"Forgive me, Sasuke" the older boy said_ _"My place is not in the dark" freeing himself from the hand of his brother, Itachi began to swim towards the light._

* * *

Sasuke slowly opened his eyes, trying to ignore the brightness coming out through the curtains of the living room where he slept.

Slowly, the young Uchiha sat on the bed, massaging his eyes. The first thing he noticed was that he had a blanket around his shoulders and a smaller blanket on the bottom of his feet. He could have sworn that it wasn't there on the previous nights.

Feeling warmer and less tired; Sasuke looked at the clock on the wall. It was ten in the morning; he slept more than twelve hours.

 _"The sleeping pill worked"_  the raven thought, feeling his head less heavily.

Recalling how he behaved the night before, Sasuke felt his cheeks flushing slightly. He, Uchiha Sasuke, had broken into tears in the arms of Uzumaki fucking Naruto!

 _"What the hell_ _got into me last night?"_  Sasuke thought, trying to keep a poker face.  _"Nervous breakdown"_  he concluded. He was exhausted, hungry and sick ... that was all.

But Sasuke could not explain the feeling of soothe and security he felt, or the relief to have Naruto stayed beside him as he cried. He had felt... warm.

After two knocks, the living room door slowly opened and Naruto came. The two former teammates stared in silence for a few seconds before Naruto extend a bowl of steaming soup.

"Hi" the blond greeted.

"Hi..." Sasuke muttered.

Naruto moved towards the sofa bed and held out the bowl.

"I thought you might be hungry," Naruto said. "If you continue without eating you will end up getting even worse... So take it! Drink this soup. "

Sasuke blinked and stared at Naruto with a puzzled expression.

"It's not poisoned" the blond continued. "I'm not that bad cook either. Eat!"

Slowly, Sasuke grabbed the bowl and placed it in his lap, feeling its heat in his palms.

He was hoping for Naruto to leave the room as usual but the blond merely pulled up a chair to the window and watched the exterior.

"Are you staying?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto nodded.

"I want to see you eat the soup," the blond said, grabbing a book and began reading.

Sasuke's stomach growled, making him flush. But Naruto didn't look up the book. As the soup was making his mouth water, Sasuke began to eat. First slowly and coolly, but quickly he was sipping the meal. To his astonishment, the blond could actually cook... or maybe he was so hungry that any jumble seemed delicious.

When the spoon hit the bottom of the bowl, Naruto looked up and stood up.

"You want more?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke wanted more, but shook his head involuntarily. Naruto took the bowl from his hands and left the room.

Strangely, Sasuke felt let down. What was wrong with him? He wanted company...? Naruto's company?

Before he could chew over more, Naruto returned to the room with a box with onigiri and a glass of juice. Sasuke decided to ignore his pride and accepted the rice balls, eating them with relish. However, he ignored the glass of juice that Naruto landed on the table. He did not like sweets.

After eating everything, Naruto pulled his chair next to the sofa bed and sat in front of Sasuke. The last time it had happened Sasuke had just recovered in the Konoha hospital. Naruto and Sakura had come to visit him, but the details were vague in his memory. The only thing he remembered clearly was his challenge to fight Naruto, enraged by his own lack of progress, for Itachi's interest in Naruto, by his defeat against Itachi and Gaara...

"I think we need to talk," Naruto said softly.

Sasuke was at least perplexed by the change in attitude of Naruto towards him. During those last days, he had acted as if he hated him to the bone, but now he appeared to be very peaceful... even tolerant of his presence.

"If you have something to say to me Sasuke, say it" the blond said.

Sasuke blinked; slightly surprised (and relieved) that Naruto was treating him by his first name again. But there were answers he needed, though he could not totally rely on Naruto. The blond was no longer the naive Dobe who had chased him for years and Sasuke didn't know who he had become.

"How do I know I can trust you, Naruto?" Sasuke asked. "You're keeping me hostage... drugging me... why should I believe you?"

"Hmpf" Naruto snorted. "I gave you a sleeping pill. I did it because I thought it would help you relax. I didn't drug or hurt you in any way. "

"If it wasn't you, why am I like this, Naruto? What happened to me? "

Naruto looked down.

"Who did this to me?" Sasuke asked again, finding Naruto's deep blue eyes.

"Kabuto" revealed the blond shinobi.

Sasuke gaped.

"Kabuto?" the raven repeated. Naruto nodded.

"We thought he had died, but apparently he managed to escape," Naruto said, staring fixedly at Sasuke. "He came to me a few days ago. We fought and I won... but in his last breath, he wanted to have the pleasure to inform me of what he had done to you and where I could find you."

Sasuke clenched his hands in anger.

"He caught me? That son of a bitch got me? How? Why?"

Naruto laced his fingers.

"Tobi..."

"Huh?"

"Tobi promised you to Kabuto if he helped him during the war" said Naruto with a serious gaze. "A fine exemplar of a young and healthy Uchiha."

Sasuke felt revulsion up his throat. Madara had promised him to Kabuto? Like he's a fucking lab rat? How dared he? A member of his own clan...

"I do not know all the details. I looked up to where he said you'd be and, if you remember, you fainted during the fight. I brought you into my house and called Baa-chan... the Hokage to look at you. If you haven't noticed yet, we're not in Konoha... not even in the Land of Fire. "

Sasuke had a suspicion that they were not in the village. Although he couldn't see the reason why Naruto was living so far away from Konoha, he had most pertinent questions to ask.

"What did the Hokage said?" the Uchiha asked.

Naruto curled his hands into his trousers, but his face showed no emotion.

"As far as the Baa-chan discovered… he used many drugs on you."

"Drugs?"

"Drugs, hormones, pills... all in all, a real chemical pump. She couldn't identify them all or what they are doing to your body."

Sasuke's hand grabbed the blanket. He felt his throat ever tighter.

"So ... what's wrong with me? She found something, right? "

"She said the drugs are acting on your whole body, but mainly in the brain," Naruto explained. "That's why you have those headaches. Whatever Kabuto was trying to do to your brain the results weren't what he expected. The drugs are... destroying it. "

Sasuke's eyes widened in shock, disbelief and finally horror.

"My brain ..." the Uchiha stammered. "He is destroying my brain?"

Naruto struggled to maintain eye contact and nodded slowly. Sasuke began panting and bent over his knees, trembling and sweating profusely.

"Is there anything I can do?" Sasuke asked, with apparent panic in his voice. "What will happen to me?"

"...I still don't know. Baa-chan is doing more tests to figure out how to stop the drugs. The doses were too high ..."

Naruto tried to keep his lips from trembling. He couldn't tell Sasuke what exactly Kabuto was trying to do to his body and brain… not the whole truth.

Sasuke stared at Naruto with his eyes shaking and a drop of sweat trickling down over his forehead. His brain was disintegrating to pieces... what did that mean? He was going to die? Or worse, become a drooling vegetable for the rest of his life?

"What will happen to me?" Sasuke asked again, his voice barely audible.

"I don't know, Sasuke... I'm sorry but I do not know ..." Naruto said softly. "I swear to you that we will do everything for you be well again. I won't quit until you do. "

"WHY?" the Uchiha cried, succumbing to panic. "WHAT DO YOU CARE IN WHAT HAPPENS ME? YOU ALL THINK IT WOULD HAVE BEEN BETTER IF I'M GONE! NOBODY CARES ABOUT ME! "

Naruto remained quiet in his chair.

"I'll help you," replied the blond. "Baa-chan and Shizune Nee-chan are also doing their best to heal you."

"EVERYBODY HATES ME! THEY ALL WANT ME TO DIE! "

"Sasuke..."

"SHUT UP! YOU HATE ME TOO!"

"You are not alone in this. I still…"

"I DON'T WANT  _ **YOU**_! GO AWAY! DISAPPEAR AND LEAVE ME ALONE! "

Naruto opened his mouth to speak but shut it again. Nothing he could say would help Sasuke. So the blond ninja stood up and left the living room, leaving Sasuke screaming and twitching his fists so hard until they bled.

* * *

Sasuke stopped screaming when he became hoarse. The pain in his head had become too unbearable and he couldn't think straight. It was as if a thousand thoughts crossed his mind at the same time.

Memories of his childhood... ninja knowledge... old plans... names of people and objects and many meaningless images...

His body trembled incessantly, as the tears ran down his face.

That was how his life would end... with a shattered body and mind because he was used as an experiment. He remembered Orochimaru, weak and pathetic in his bed, tied to a decayed body. Now he understood his obsession with becoming healthy again.

And now Sasuke would end the same way...

Although he didn't know where the strength came from, Sasuke got up and left the room. Down the stairs, opened his eyes: the front door was open.

Without thinking twice, Sasuke walked out the door and started running towards the forest. The gravel and stones hurt his bare feet, but he continued to race and reeling. When a cold wind brought an icy rain, the young raven stumbled and fell to the ground, messing up with mud.

He tried to summon chakra to jump to the trees but could not. To his horror, he realized he no longer remembered how to do it. It was as if this knowledge had been erased from his mind.

When a thunder echoed over his head, Sasuke cringed to the ground without being able to stop shaking and crying. Placing his hands on his head, he began to groan.

He was unable to form any logical thinking. Random images ran through his mind and he was unable to prevent it. All he felt was fear, anxiety and the need to have someone there with him, telling him that everything would be okay... offering warmth... comfort... love...

"Kaa-san ..." Sasuke groaned, as if he was little boy again. "Kaa-san... help me..."

A new thunder echoed through the dark skies of the storm.

"Tou-san... Tou-san... "

Sasuke pulled his knees to his abdomen and screamed when a new wave of pain pierced his skull.

"Nii-san... Nii-san, come back..." cooed the boy. "Don't go..."

Sasuke didn't want to be alone. He didn't want to die like this...

He just wanted his family back.

"Don't leave me..."

The wind was so cold that Sasuke felt difficulty in breathing; it was as if the air couldn't go in the lungs. The bones of his legs appeared to be burning, and he could barely move his fingers.

The cold... the pain... hurt ... it was too much. He just wanted everything to go way. His mind began to close in on himself, trying to escape the pain ... losing consciousness.

However, a very vague and indistinct thought came to him. It was an image or maybe an emotion.

_Someone warm, gentle and safe… is looking_ _at him with soft eyes._

That feeling... that was his...

"SASUKE!"

The young raven lifted his head slightly, just enough to glimpse a figure moving towards him. When he came to him, the man took a blanket and wrapped it around Sasuke.

"There you are. I got you..." the man muttered, grabbing Sasuke in his arms and pressing his cold body against his warm chest. "Don't do this to me again."

As the man ran towards the house, Sasuke could finally tell Naruto's blond hair.

"Nar...?"

"Shhh... Don't talk" replied the blond.

When they entered the house, Naruto landed Sasuke in the bathroom, took off his dirty and wet clothes and dried him with a hot towel. After drying his hair, Naruto brought him dry and warm clothes (although a little bigger for him, because they were Naruto's) and carried him on his back to the living room, placing him in the bed.

With a gentle smile, Naruto put two blankets on Sasuke and rubbed his blue hands until they were warm and pink. Throughout this time, Sasuke stared at Naruto in silence, his eyes still brimming with tears. He knew it was Naruto who was tending him, and he knew that he should feel mortified and outraged by his enemy... yet...

When Naruto smiled once more, it was as if it Sasuke's heart calmed down suddenly. He was still Naruto, but there was also something more about him now... something ... warm and secure... familiar...

To Sasuke's amazement, Naruto's smile and aura were ... fatherly.

Naruto dropped Sasuke hand and rose but the Uchiha, as if by instinct, he grabbed his arm.

"Huh?" the blond blinked. "What's wrong, Sasuke?"

Instead of answering, the black-haired boy looked down and hid his face in the sheets. Without another word, Naruto lifted the sheets and lay down in bed, his back to the Uchiha.

Sasuke was speechless. He was not expecting Naruto to sleep with him, but he wasn't able to tell him to go away.

Still as a statue, the Uchiha also turned his back to Naruto. A few seconds later, he recognized the snoring that he had heard so many times during their missions in Team 7. Naruto didn't change that much after all.

The sound of the rain falls against the window and the heat coming from Naruto's body, made Sasuke feel oddly calm and at ease. He never shared a bed with anyone... not even with Itachi when they were children. So why that feeling was so familiar? Worse! Why did he want to lean against Naruto?

Swallowing hard and red as a tomato, Sasuke turned to Naruto. Making sure that the latter was still asleep; Sasuke moved a little until his hand touched Naruto's hand. Wincing slightly, Sasuke rubbed a finger on Naruto's palm, feeling his soft touch and warmth. Before he cow, Sasuke grabbed two of Naruto's fingers and squeezed them.

Somehow, his body felt... wrong. Something wasn't right... he was... too big. He was supposed to be smaller.

With red cheeks, Sasuke moved his head until it touched Naruto's back, listening to his heartbeat. A few seconds later, Sasuke also fell asleep, not realizing that his lips were curled into a tiny smile.

 


	6. Confusion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're interested, the chapters connected to this one on Phoenix Rising are chapter 18 and chapter 30.

 

混乱 ( _Konran_ )

When Naruto woke up, he felt something warm leaning against his back and a pressure in his left hand. As he turned aside, his blue eyes widened in surprise.

The young raven stirred when Naruto shifted his position. A few seconds later, Sasuke moved again closer to Naruto and buried his face in the chest of the older ninja. His hand continued to grab two of Naruto's fingers. The young Uchiha looked so peaceful and quiet... and he didn't even need a pill to sleep this time.

Naruto couldn't stop smiling. With his free hand, the blond ninja pulled a lock of hair from Sasuke's face and touched his forehead.

 _You don't seem to have a fever_ _... Good._

Carefully and slowly, Naruto got out of bed. For a moment it seemed that Sasuke would wake up when the latter groaned as his and Naruto's hands parted. But when Naruto snuggled him the sheets and covered him with another blanket, Sasuke continued to sleep.

The ninja looked at the watch. It was only two in the afternoon, so he closed all the windows in the living room and left Sasuke sleeping in the dark. The more he slept and rested the better... that was what Tsunade had said.

With a sigh, Naruto went to the bathroom and washed his face. Near the tub, was the laundry basket where Sasuke's muddy clothes were. They were still the same clothes he wore when they fought in the woods and the only clothes that fit him.

Sasuke needed more clothes. He could not wear Naruto's clothes forever and the blond refused to share his underwear.

Naruto grabbed a coat and shivered with cold when he opened the front door. The only house that the village had to rent was a beach house, fresh and perfect for a hot summer, but damn cold in the winter.

Pressing the jacket to his chest, Naruto left home and headed for the village, which was a few miles away. He wouldn't take long. Sasuke would probably still be sleeping when he returned.

* * *

Close to four in the afternoon, two hours after Naruto left, Sasuke woke up slowly. One of his arms stretched across the bed but found no one. A bit confused, the Uchiha looked up, sleepy. For a few seconds, he had no idea where he was, but remembered it quickly. He was lying on the sofa bed in Naruto's living room. The room was dark because the windows were closed, but it was still day. Sasuke could see light underneath the blinds.

He felt better. He hadn't any nightmares or strange dreams while asleep and his head didn't ache so much. Sasuke realized now that panicking would only make things worse. He would not make the same mistake. If Naruto and the Hokage wanted to heal him, it was their stupidity. He didn't ask them for help. He didn't owe them anything.

Without being aware, his hand continued to feel around his bed, as if looking for something. Or someone.

 _Naruto!_ the raven thought. Naruto had been lying in bed with him.

Sasuke sat up and got out of bed. The clothes he was wearing were a bit too big for him and he concluded they must belong to Naruto. The shirt covered his thighs.

The teen left the room and went downstairs to the kitchen.

"Naruto?" he called, but the kitchen was empty. The bathroom too. "Naruto?" Sasuke called again, but louder.

The house remained silent.

 _He must have_ _left,_ Sasuke thought.

Curious, the young Uchiha walked to the front door and turned the doorknob, opening the door. Naruto had left the door open again. If Sasuke wanted to flee, this would be an excellent opportunity.

However, when he put a foot outside the house, Sasuke immediately went back inside and sat in a chair in the kitchen. He was unable to escape, if he did he would have another crisis sooner or later. As much as he didn't want to admit he needed help. There was nothing he could do.

Sasuke's leg knocked against something that was under the table. Looking down, his black eyes widened: it was the cardboard box where Naruto had put his son's drawings.

Sasuke grabbed the box, placed it on the table and opened it. Then, he took the drawings and, one by one, put them in front of him carefully. The teenager felt relief...

 _He didn't throw them away,_ Sasuke thought, blinking in confusion.  _But why did it bother me so much? This has nothing to do with me. They're just stupid drawings of his kid._

However, Sasuke could not help but looking at the pictures, touching them with care. The latter was the card with the cup of Ramen drawn. Sasuke stared at the drawing in his hands, with the strange feeling that he had seen it before. He knew this card was very difficult to make... the kid had to ask for help from the kindergarten teacher to write the phrase... but it was very important to finish the card... he had to make him a present like all other children had done... he couldn't wait to give it to Naruto. But... what if he didn't like it? What if he hated it and said it was stupid?

_**"I love it! I will never take it of the fridge!"** _

Sasuke dropped the card on the table and grabbed his head with both hands, trying to ease the pain. What the hell was that? An illusion? An hallucination?

"I'm imagining things..." the Uchiha said, still clutching his head. However, upon seeing the card and the drawings in front of him, Sasuke felt sad and angry at the same time. Naruto had no right to take the card or other drawings of the refrigerator. His son had done to them as a gift. They were special! If Naruto loved his son, he could  **not**  take the drawings from the refrigerator!

"He promised!" Sasuke got up and started placing the drawings back on the metal surface of the refrigerator with a determined expression.

When he finished, Sasuke stared at the fridge. All drawings were back to their respective places.

Not knowing what else to do, Sasuke went up the stairs and thought to sleep a little more. But when he got close to the living room, he glanced at the stairs which led upwards. He had never been there... the only thing he knew was that Naruto's room was up there.

Filled with curiosity, the Uchiha climbed the stairs slowly, his ears alert to every sound. He wouldn't be caught in the act by Naruto.

The top floor was little. In the hallway, Sasuke saw three doors: two were half closed, the door to the left and the middle, and one was closed, the right. The Uchiha opened the middle door, revealing a small bathroom with a small shower, a toilet and a sink. Then Sasuke opened the left door.

It wasn't hard to deduce that this was Naruto's bedroom. The bed was unmade and there were clothes on the floor and piled on a chair. It wasn't much different from the one Sasuke had seen in Naruto's apartment in Konoha.

But what caught Sasuke's attention was a photo on the bedside table. First, the ninja thought it was the Team 7 picture that they had taken when Kakashi agreed to be their sensei, but as he moved closer, Sasuke realized he was wrong. It was a photo of a couple: a blond man with blue eyes and a red-haired woman, obviously pregnant, sitting in a chair. They both smiled at the camera.

"Naruto married?" Sasuke said, grabbing the frame to see the picture more closely. It shouldn't be so surprising... after all, if Naruto had a son; it was also natural that he had a wife. However, when looking more closely at the photo, Sasuke realized that the blond man had no whiskers marks on his cheeks like Naruto. It wasn't him...

 _But... if it's not Naruto_ _... who are these people?_

The answer came quickly to the young genius. They were Naruto's parents. Sasuke could see the similarities. Obviously, Naruto had taken after his father, they looked like twins! But he had inherited the face and eye shape of his mother.

 _She was beautiful,_ Sasuke thought, staring at the pregnant woman.

The blond man also seemed too familiar... He had seen somewhere, although he knew that was impossible. Naruto's parents had died when the Dobe was born.

_**"My own father was forced to make me a Jinchuriki to protect the village."** _

Sasuke nearly dropped the photo on the floor. He recognized the man in the picture... he had seen him almost every day on the Hokage Mountain. The fourth carved head...

"The Yondaime?" Sasuke said, almost in disbelief. The Fourth Hokage was Naruto's father?

A part of Sasuke refused to believe it. The Fourth was a genius and one of the most powerful Kage that existed in the world. How could Naruto, the worst student in the Academy, be his son?

If it that was true, then that also meant that the Yondaime had sealed the Kyuubi inside his own child. And… what about the woman? Naruto said her name was Uzumaki Kushina... the second Jinchuriki the Kyuubi. Why Naruto had his mother's surname? Why didn't everybody know he was the son of a Kage? In Konoha that was almost like being royalty. The villagers would never have treated Naruto so cruelly if they knew that he was the only son of their beloved Fourth Hokage.

 _Unless it was too dangerous,_ Sasuke concluded. It made sense... the Fourth was a powerful and famous man. If his enemies knew that he had left a son, they could have gone after Naruto.

So was it true? Did Madara remove the Kyuubi from Naruto's mother? Had it been him who attacked the village? Or maybe the village elders had lied to Naruto and made-up that story so he would want to kill Sasuke and cover up that they had wrongly accused the Uchiha.

Yes! It had to be it!

Landing the picture on the bedside table, Sasuke left Naruto's room. He was about to go down the stairs when his eyes fell on the right door... the only door that was closed.

Swallowing hard, Sasuke put his hand on the metal knob. He didn't know why he was so nervous... it was just a lousy room. Hesitating no more, the Uchiha turned the knob and opened the door.

The room was smaller than Naruto's, but much fuller. Toys and games were scattered on the floor and the shelves, and even on the bed. There were more pictures in one corner of the room and a glass full of markers, colored pencils and crayons. The bed was made and had a colorful quilt. He could see the ocean and the beach by the window.

It was a child's room.

Sasuke didn't even realize that he had entered the room, touching random toys that were on the ground before putting them back down. When he came by the bed, he sat and looked into the room quietly. It was strange... but he felt wasn't invading anyone's room, unlike what happened in Naruto's.

It was nice bedroom, Sasuke had to admit. He would have liked a room like that as a kid. The boy had lots of toys... more than he had ever had. There was no doubt that Naruto liked to spoil the child rotten.

 _They probably_ _play together everyday,_ Sasuke thought, feeling a slight distress in his chest. He could easily imagine Naruto playing with his son whenever he asked him; give him toys and read him stories every night before he went to sleep. If the kid had a nightmare, Naruto wouldn't hesitate to let him sleep in his bed with him...

Because he loved him. Because they were a family. Because they were father and son.

Sasuke blinked as something wet dripped to his hand. Even more confused, he realized that it was tears. His tears.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" the Uchiha growled was he got out of the room and closed the door back.

Sasuke went downstairs and shut himself in the first floor bathroom, furiously washing his face in the sink. That could not be true! He wasn't crying! He wasn't jealous of Naruto's spoiled kid! He didn't feel… alone.

* * *

When Naruto and his clones, came home laden with shopping, the blond realized that maybe he had over done it. He had bought enough food for a small army.

Also, he took longer than he anticipated. He had no idea what clothes to buy for a grumpy teenager. If Sasuke didn't like the clothes, tough luck! He wasn't going to buy new ones!

Upon entering the kitchen, Naruto's eyes widened. Sasuke was sitting at the table with a cup of green tea in front of him. When Uchiha saw him come through the door, he looked at him with a scowl.

 _Great!_ Naruto thought, sarcastically. _W_ _hat now? He has more mood swings than a pregnant woman!_

"Where were you?" the Uchiha asked.

Naruto threw one of the bags to the table.

"Shopping," the blond said simply, putting the rest of the bags on the kitchen floor. "That one over there" he pointed to the bag. "Those clothes are for you."

Sasuke looked surprised.

"You bought me clothes?"

"Sure. You don't wanna wear mine forever, right?"

Sasuke opened the bag and looked inside. From what he could see, the clothing wasn't too weird or with bright colors. If Naruto made him wear orange, Sasuke would force him to eat the clothes.

In silence, Sasuke took the bag with the clothes to the living room and dress a pair of black trousers and a dark blue sweater. He admitted that Naruto had made a good choice. When he came back to the kitchen, Sasuke saw Naruto watching the refrigerator. When the blond turned to face the Uchiha, Sasuke gave him a gaze of defiance.

"Did you put the drawings back?" Naruto asked, genuinely surprised.

Sasuke nodded.

"Yes," said the raven. "And don't take them out again."

Naruto opened his mouth to reply but shut it again. Then he started placing the groceries in the closets while Sasuke watched him from the jamb.

Was Naruto ignoring him again? Sasuke didn't know what to expect from Naruto anymore. First, he had treated him as if he was scum, then he had comforted him... what did Naruto want from him? He had said that the Sasuke who had been his friend was dead and that they all had erased him from their lives and memories. But he had bought him clothes, medicines and helped him when Sasuke had that nervous breakdown. It made no sense...

Naruto had just placed the last packet of instant ramen on the shelf when he realized that Sasuke was still watching him. However, the raven's expression had changed. He didn't seem angry or grumpy, but confused and, perhaps, unhappy.

"Ah ... Did the clothes fit?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke looked at him with a blank expression.

"Yes."

"Ok... that's good," Naruto said.

For a moment, neither spoke, until Sasuke could take no more and had to ask.

"Why are you here with me, Naruto?"

"Huh?"

"You hate me. You said it yourself... then why are you treating me? Why is the Hokage helping you? We're enemies. Why don't you just kill me?"

Naruto took a deep breath.

"Because I'm a fool, Sasuke," Naruto replied. "And you're wrong. I don't want to kill you... and I don't hate you. "

Sasuke's dark eyes widened in amazement.

"But... you said..."

"I don't know how to talk to you anymore, Sasuke," Naruto admitted. "I don't know what you want me to tell you or how to treat you."

"You said I was nothing," the Uchiha repeated, clenching his fists so they wouldn't tremble. "You said I was less than human... that I was a weapon... You said I was dead to you... and you wished I'd never been born."

Remembering what Naruto had told him, Sasuke felt his chest tight again. Only with a lot of willpower he was able to keep his voice from failing.

Naruto sat in a chair and continued to stare at Sasuke. His expression was tired and somewhat sadden.

"You insulted me too," Naruto said quietly. "Whenever we met, you acted as if I were an insect or a germ. You despised me and never accepted me as a rival worthy of you, much less a friend or a companion. I would be lying if I said it didn't hurt or angered me..." Naruto rested his hands on the wooden table."I don't know how to talk to you, Sasuke. Everything I said seemed useless... you refused to hear me or ignored me because I simply didn't matter to you. So if I despised and insulted you too, why should you care? You never cared about what I said before... this time should not be any different. "

Sasuke was confused about what he had just heard. So... Naruto told him all those things because he didn't know how to talk to him? Had he told him all of that to force him to hear him and take him seriously? Did Naruto actually feel any of the things he said?

"I'll start making dinner around seven," Naruto said, suddenly.

"What?" Sasuke asked, surprised by the sudden change of subject.

"Dinner. It should be ready at eight o'clock," Naruto continued. "If you want to eat in the kitchen you can come."

"You want... you want me to dine in the kitchen? With you?"

"If you don't want, it's alright. I'll take your dinner to the living room. "

Sasuke was about to say he wanted to eat alone, but the truth was that he didn't. He was tired of being alone with his thoughts. He wanted think about something else besides his  _"condition"_.

He was tired of always being alone.

"No," replied the Uchiha. "I'll eat in the kitchen."

Naruto nodded with a small smile.

"Okay," replied the blond. Seeing that Sasuke didn't move, Naruto pointed to the empty chair beside him. "Sit down! You'll get tired if you stay up too long. "

"I don't want to sit," Sasuke retorted, with rosy cheeks.

"If you wanted to be alone you would have left to the living room already" Naruto said, pointing again to the chair.

Uncomfortable, Sasuke muttered something between his teeth and sat next to Naruto. Outside the rain started again.

"Naruto?" Sasuke asked, looking out the window. "Where are we?"

"Land of Foam."

"That's far from Konoha... very far..."

"Yeah... I'm traveling the world for awhile," Naruto replied.

Sasuke thought about the room full of toys upstairs. If Naruto was traveling, then had brought his son with him... maybe his wife or lover too. Most likely, those two would have returned to Konoha while Naruto was with the dangerous international criminal.

"What month is it?" the raven Shinobi asked again.

"Hmm... end of December" replied Naruto.

Sasuke remained silent, hearing the sound of the rain hitting the window panes. When Naruto got up to eat an apple, the Uchiha blurted out something that was troubling him since he had seen the picture of Naruto's parents.

"They lied to you."

"Huh?" Naruto asked, confused. "Excuse me?"

"They lied to you," Sasuke continued. "The person who told you that Madara removed the Kyuubi from your mom and attacked Konoha, lied."

Naruto landed the apple on the counter and stared at Sasuke.

"No, Sasuke," Naruto replied calmly. "It's not a lie. That's what happened. "

Sasuke stared at Naruto with an angry and defiant gaze.

"Who told you? The elders? The Hokage? Whoever it was, they just wanted to hide the truth. They wanted an excuse to put the Uchiha on surveillance by the ANBU. "

"My parents told me."

Sasuke opened his mouth, ready to object, but close it again when he fully understood what Naruto said.

"What?  _Your parents_? But they... that's impossible! You said that they had died. "

Naruto sat down again.

"My father sealed a part of his and my mother's spiritual energy in me when he sealed the Kyuubi" Naruto explained. "He did it so I could talk to them. I spoke with my father when I lost control of the Kyuubi while fighting Pain. He restored the seal and told me it had been Tobi who attacked Konoha with the Kyuubi. "

"How did you talk to your father?" Sasuke asked.

"I think it was in my subconscious," Naruto replied. "Remember when you fought against us in Orochimaru's hideout?"

The young ninja remembered. Through his Sharingan, Sasuke saw the Kyuubi trapped in a cage, inside Naruto.

"That place that looks like a sewer? Is that your subconscious?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto looked offended "Hey! My mind is anything but a sewer. Anyway I was about to remove the seal and release the Kyuubi fully... that's when the Yondaime stopped me. I met my mother when I freed the Kyuubi purposely to try to control it. It was she who told me that she was the second Jinchuriki and how Madara removed Kyuubi after I was born. So Sasuke, between Madara and my parents, I prefer to believe in their version of history. "

Sasuke looked away. Madara had lied to him about the Kyuubi. It was all his fault that the Uchiha were suspects of the attack.

 _"Damn bastard!"_  Sasuke thought.

Noticing Sasuke's angry look, Naruto continued to talk.

"Did you know that our mothers were friends?"

"What?"

"True," Naruto continued with a slight smile. "When my mother first saw you, she thought you were a girl."

Sasuke frowned.

" _A_   _girl_?"

"Yeah... I can't really blame her. You do look… a bit girly."

"I do  _ **not**_  look girly."

"Well… Your mother told her no, that it was another boy and told her that she named you after Sarutobi Sasuke."

Sasuke blinked. Nobody ever told him the story behind his first name. He just assumed there was none.

"Sarutobi? From the Third Hokage's Clan? "

"Yes. Sarutobi Sasuke was the name of Sandaime Jii-chan's father... people said he was a great shinobi. So your mother gave you his name in the hope that you would become a splendid ninja just like he was. "

Sasuke lowered his eyes.

"You didn't know?" Naruto asked.

"Nobody ever told me," Sasuke said, lifting his face again. "You think my mother would be disappointed with me?"

"Huh?"

Realizing that he had just said Sasuke shook his head.

"Nothing! Forget it! "

"Parents may be disappointed with their children," Naruto said, noting the storm of emotions that went through Sasuke's eyes. "But that doesn't mean they stop loving them."

"Where is your son, Naruto?"

The blond blinked.

"He's… away," Naruto replied with a sad smile.

Naruto picked up another apple and gave it to Sasuke.

"You ... love him?"

Naruto stared at him.

"More than anything," the blond replied.

"Would you still love him if he became a criminal? If he became… evil?"

Naruto replied without hesitation.

"I would continue to love him even if he killed me."

Sasuke felt a painful sting in his heart and looked away.

As Sasuke said, he dined in the kitchen with Naruto. To his surprise, he didn't hate the blonds' cooking and he even asked for seconds. When he finished eating, Sasuke went to the living room and lay down in bed, strangely exhausted. He soon fell asleep.

* * *

_Sasuke ran through the tall grass, feeling the presence of someone approaching more and more. The dark forest ahead seemed endless._

_When he stumbled on a rock and fell on the floor next to a dead black cat, Sasuke knew it was too late. A white snake with black eyes buried it's fangs in his leg, making him to scream in pain. The snake slithered in front of him and began to grow. Seconds later, Kabuto was in front of him with an evil smile on his lips._

_"I found you at last,_ _" hissed the snake man. "You escaped last time... the poison didn't work. But I will not make the same mistake twice. "_

_The forest disappeared and Sasuke found himself surrounded by dark waters._

_"No ..." Sasuke groaned, feeling tears behind his eyes. "Not again... not here again…"_

_"You said you wanted to be strong" Kabuto continued. "You said you wanted to be a ninja so powerful that nobody could defeat you. You said you wanted to do everything yourself. I'm just making your wish come true. "_

_Sasuke was being pulled down by the waters. Panicking_ _, the raven and tried to keep in the surface._

_"I want to go home... Let me go home ..." Sasuke said, as the waters surrounded him._

_Kabuto smirked._

_"It's too late."_

_And Sasuke sank in the dark water._

* * *

With a jump, Sasuke woke up startled and looked around, panting. He was in Naruto's living room... he was safe...

"A dream... it was just a dream..." the Uchiha said, wiping droplets of sweat from his brow. His breathing returned to normal as he calmed down.

The dream was so real... The panic and fear he felt was genuine, just like the feeling of drowning in those dark waters. In fact, he still felt wet.

Stirring up, Sasuke felt something on his clothes. Intrigued, he touched his pants with one hand and his black eyes widened in disbelief.

"No..." Sasuke whispered, livid. "No way..."

Without wanting to believe it, the Uchiha pulled the sheets and looked. Disbelief turned into pure horror: the sheets and his pants were completely soaked.

There was no way to deny it. Uchiha Sasuke had peed in the bed.

 _This is **not** happening to me, _ thought the raven, red as a seasoned tomato.  _I never wet the bed before! Never! An Uchiha doesn't wet the bed!_

Upstairs, Naruto growled. Sasuke shook with fear and shame. Naruto could not know about this! He would rather die than having anyone knowing about this!

 _He'll think I'm a big baby,_ Sasuke thought, mortified.

Carefully and quietly, the young Uchiha grabbed the soiled sheet, grabbed a change of clothes and left the room. In the downstairs bathroom, Sasuke put the peed sheet and clothes in the laundry basket. Quietly, the raven stepped into the tub and bathed. There were two bottles of shampoo near the water tap, without thinking Sasuke grabbed one and washed his hair.

When he got out of the tub, Sasuke casually grabbed a small blue towel that was next to another larger orange colored one, and wiped himself with it. After dressing and drying his hair with the towel, the Uchiha went upstairs. Unaware of what he was doing, he had gone up to the top floor and was in front Naruto son's bedroom.

 _Why_ _did I go up here?_ Sasuke asked himself. He had done everything automatically, what's more... he didn't feel he was doing anything wrong.

So, Sasuke opened the bedroom door and entered. He didn't hesitate to pull the sheets and lie down on the bed. In fact, when he covered himself and leaned his head against the pillow, he felt he was exactly where he should be.

 _I don't wanna sleep on that dumb sofa bed,_ Sasuke thought as he fell asleep. _I want to sleep in this room! I want to sleep in this bed..._ the raven's eyes closed slowly as he fell into slumber.  _My bed..._

* * *

When Naruto woke up and went downstairs to make breakfast, he noticed that Sasuke was not in the sofa bed. Strangely, the sheets had been removed and were gone too.

Intrigued, Naruto looked for Sasuke in the kitchen, but he wasn't there.

 _Did Sasuke run off again_ _?_ Naruto thought, though it was unlikely. He had left the door open on purpose because he knew that Sasuke would try to flee. Sasuke himself need to find out that it was a bad decision. If Naruto had told him not to escape, the Uchiha wouldn't mind in at all.

When he peeked in the bathroom, Naruto noticed that a portion of a sheet was out of the dirty laundry basket. Curious, the blond shinobi opened the basket and realized what had happened during the night.

"Poor teme..." Naruto said, unable to avoid laughing. "He must have been mad as hell."

However, he still didn't know where the young raven was. Naruto came up the stairs to dress and look for Sasuke outside when he noticed that his son's bedroom door, that he had closed himself, was partly open. Opening the door, Naruto's eyes widened.

Sasuke didn't run off. He was fast asleep in his son's bed.


	7. Hidden Truths

隠された真実 ( _Kakusa reta shinjitsu_ )

Naruto's blue eyes remained fixed on the adolescent asleep in his child's bed, surrounded by toys and kid's books.

Trying not to make any noise, Naruto approached the bed and sat down. Sasuke was sleeping peacefully; his breathing was regular and smooth. However, he was pale and had dark circles around the eyes due to fatigue. He didn't have to be a doctor to realize that he was sick.

Feeling his eyes filling with tears, Naruto patted the young Uchiha's black hair gently and left the room, closing the door behind him. Wiping the tears on the sleeve of his pajamas, the blond went to his room and got dressed. After taking breakfast, he had clothes and sheets to wash.

* * *

Sasuke woke up when a bright light struck him in the face, causing him to clench his eyes shut and mumble something unpronounceable through his teeth.

"Time to wake up" a voice said.

Sasuke grumbled once again and pulled the blankets over his head.

"Come on, Sasuke. You have to eat and take your medication. "

"No..." moaned the raven. "I don't wanna!"

Rolling his eyes, Naruto grabbed the blankets and pulled them back. In response, Sasuke covered his face with his hands.

"Teme, you have to take this syrup on an empty stomach" Naruto said, filling a spoon with green goo. "Open your mouth."

"No! It tastes like shit!"

"Hey!" Naruto exclaimed. "Don't make me wash your mouth with soap. Now, take your medicine!"

Sasuke simply glared at him.

"You're not the boss of me!" the teenager grunted.

"Oh, that's it!"

At that moment, Naruto grabbed his nose and slipped him the spoon with the syrup inside the mouth. Sasuke's black eyes widened in amazement and he grimaced as he swallowed the sour liquid.

Smiling at his victory, Naruto moved away from the teenager, who was still coughing.

"Was it so difficult?" the blond asked, with an amused smile. "Now... stop sulking and go eat something."

Sasuke looked at his former teammate, red with anger and shame.

"Who died and made you my father?" the Uchiha asked.

Naruto merely turn his back and went into the kitchen.

Sasuke sat up in bed and rubbed his eyes. The bloody taste of the medicine was still stuck in his mouth, causing his lips to contract.

_"Damn you, Naruto"_  Sasuke thought, as his eyes adjusted to the light.  _"I'd rather eat a lemon to have to swallow that shit again!"_

Still sleepy, the raven left the bedroom and went to the bathroom to wash his face and clean his mouth with water. Just after he dried his face with a small blue towel, Sasuke realized where he was.

Upstairs. He slept upstairs... in Naruto's son's bedroom.

"Why am I here?" Sasuke asked himself. His cheeks became scarlet as he remembered the  _"incident"_  the night before.

He had wet the bed like a four year old kid, hid the dirty sheets and pajamas and come to lie in the kid's bed. What was he thinking? Why did he come up here? He had reached the room and fell asleep with ease and boldness, not caring one bit that the room wasn't his.

And Naruto had found him there! He found his enemy sleeping in his son's bed and said nothing.

_"Why?"_  the Uchiha thought. It made no sense... Naruto should have been angry and outraged.

Sasuke's onyx eyes widened further has he remembered that he had hidden the sheets in the laundry basket on the first floor bathroom.

What if Naruto found out?

"Shit" swore the Uchiha, running down the stairs to get to the laundry basket. With luck, Naruto wouldn't have found the dirty clothes and sheets. Sasuke could just wash them and pretend it never happened.

However, the Uchiha knew that luck was rarely on his side. When gazing at the empty basket, the raven turned pale. Naruto knew!

"Sasuke! Aren't you coming to eat breakfast?" Naruto asked from the kitchen.

Mortified, Sasuke walked to the kitchen and sat at the table, avoiding eye contact with the blond. Even when Naruto landed a cup of hot milk in front of him, Sasuke refused to speak or look at him.

" _Shit! Shit! Shit! Why did this happen to me?"_

Naruto blinked, confused by the raven's behavior strange.

"Is something wrong?" Naruto asked casually.

Sasuke's cheeks became even redder.

_"Like you_ _don't know, Dobe" Sasuke_  thought bitterly.  _"Will you stop pretending that you don't know anything! Come on! Make fun of me! You're just dying to put me down! "_

Since Sasuke didn't answer, Naruto shrugged and continued reading a manga that he bought in the village.

Sasuke drank a bit of milk, daring to look at Naruto certain that the blond was looking at him with a stupid smile of scorn on his face, but the blond was not even watching him! He was reading a fucking manga!

"Fuck it, Naruto!" the raven exploded, slamming his palms on the table.

The older ninja blinked and stared at Sasuke with a puzzled look.

"What?"

"Say something, damn it!" the Uchiha grumbled.

"Ah? What do you want me to say?" Naruto asked.

"Stop playing dumb, Dobe! I know you know what happened to me last night!"

To Sasuke's surprise, Naruto remained calm.

"And what do you want me to say about it? Do you… wanna talk?"

"I know you're ready to make fun of me! So bring it on!"

Naruto shook his head, but with a little smirk on his lips.

"You think I'm still that childish?" the blond replied, trying to hide his amusement. "The Almighty Uchiha Sasuke wet the bed. So what? Are you telling me that it never happened before? "

If possible, Sasuke became even more flushed.

"Of course not! It never happened before!"

Naruto looked at him with suspicion.

"Are you telling me that you never wet the bed? Even when you were little? That's a bit hard to believe..."

"I don't care that you believe it or not! Uchihas do not wet the bed! "

Naruto became aware of something beneath Sasuke's shame and landed the manga he was reading at the table.

"Your clan was part of the elite... but was made up of human beings" Naruto said with his adult voice (Sasuke doubted that he would ever get used to the blond being an adult). "And humans are not perfect... they don't need to be. Sometimes you talk as if your clan was an entire entity and not a bunch of different people. "

Sasuke snorted with contempt.

"And what you know about that?" the Uchiha shot back. "Even if you belong to the Uzumaki clan, you were never part of it. They mean nothing to you! You don't know how it's like to belong to a clan and take pride in it."

"You're right. I don't..." Naruto admitted. "I can only imagine. Must have been nice to be part of a group so high-status, huh? People should look at you full of expectations. Just being part of the clan meant that you were going to be a great ninja. However..."

The young raven blinked.

"I wonder if sometimes it wasn't a burden to you" Naruto continued, his eyes serious but calm. "Knowing that people didn't expect less than perfection from you... there was no room for failure… Being forced to be perfect. "

Sasuke was about to fight back, but had to admit that Naruto was right. The first time he had realized it was when he went into the Academy. Obviously, he had been proud when teachers said they expected great things from him, but had felt angry when he heard his classmate's whisper that he could, or not, be amazing.

Before he could organize his thoughts, Sasuke realized what was happening. Naruto was trying to put him against his clan!

"My clan was prestigious for a reason. We were elite and we had pride in that!" Sasuke replied, defensively. "Being a part of it was never a burden. Don't think you can turn me against the Uchiha, Naruto. Give it up!"

"That's not what I meant" said Naruto, remaining unfazed. "I just think it shouldn't be easy to have all this pressure on your shoulders."

"There was no  _pressure_ " Sasuke replied in a bad mood. "Stop talking about matters that doesn't concern you! You know nothing about my family and you have no right to say these things about my clan. We're not family! You're not my brother or my father! You're nothing but an outsider."

Naruto nodded slowly, but continued to stare at Sasuke, though something in his eyes became empty.

"Have you ever heard of Uchiha Obito?"

Completely taken by surprise, Sasuke's eyes widened.

"Who?"

"Uchiha Obito" the blond repeated. "He was my father's student. Drink your milk or it'll get cold. "

Sasuke frowned in disbelief at what Naruto said. He also obeyed him, instinctively, and drank two sips of hot milk.

"The Yondaime had an Uchiha as a student? I don't think so. "

"Believe it" Naruto continued. "I assume you've never heard of him. His name is on the memorial stone. "

Sasuke drank more of his milk, finding it oddly bitter. If this guy, Obito, had his name written on the memorial stone that meant he had died in combat and not during the massacre.

"I don't know the name of all the members that belonged to my clan" Sasuke said, pulling the sugar and adding a spoonful of it to the milk.

"Well... Obito wasn't, what you might call, an ordinary Uchiha" Naruto said, noting the sudden interest in Sasuke's face.

"What do you mean?"

"He considered himself the Uchiha's black sheep" Naruto continued. "He was goofy, tardy, a crybaby, made excuses to avoid problems and, at thirteen years old, had not yet activated the Sharingan."

Sasuke stared at Naruto in disbelief. He had never known an Uchiha like that; moreover, he thought that was impossible. Someone with such a personality could  _ **not**_  be an Uchiha. And to have not activated the Sharingan at age thirteen was almost impossible; it meant that his experience in battle was practically nil.

"When Obito graduated from the Academy, my father already had a student, a ninja prodigy who graduated from the Academy at age 5."

Sasuke choked on his milk and started coughing violently. Graduated at age five? That was unbelievable! Not even Itachi had managed to graduate so early, despite being a genius and the best of his generation.

Slightly pleased by Sasuke's amazement, Naruto continued.

"My dad had also been considered a genius of his time, so it was only normal for a child so exceptional to become his student. When Obito and a girl named Rin joined my dad's team, he and the prodigy could not get along. They had completely opposite personalities."

_"Where have I seen this before?"_  Sasuke thought, remembering his old team.

"The shinobi prodigy followed the rules to the letter, so he was very serious and inflexible, especially with Obito. The two were never in agreement... until they were assign ed to that mission... "

Sasuke drank the milk and stared at Naruto, not hiding his curiosity. He wanted to know about his family member, but was also very interested in this ninja prodigy. Someone like him should have become incredibly powerful.

"During the Third Ninja War, my dad's team was ordered to destroy a bridge through which the enemy got their supplies. The prodigy had just become a Jonin at thirteen years old and everybody, but Obito, offered him gifts.

Tou-chan decided that he would be the team captain and, as they headed for the bridge, dad went to the battlefield as a distraction. Everything was going well until the team was attacked and Rin was kidnapped by the enemy. Obito wanted to go save her, but the prodigy refused to break the rules and put a teammate's life above the mission. So they parted and Obito went to save her alone. "

As much as he wanted to be indifferent to the story, Sasuke was anxious to know what had happened and why was Naruto telling him this. The more he heard about Obito, the more Sasuke thought he was just like the Naruto he remembered when they were on the same team. If they were in the same situation, Naruto would've done the same thing.

"What happened to him?" the Uchiha asked.

"Before he could save his teammate, Obito was discovered and attacked. But the prodigy changed his mind and showed up just in time to save him, however... while trying to protect Obito, the enemy struck his left eye and he became blind. It was then that Obito's Sharingan was activated and he managed to defeat the enemy ninja. "

Emotional trauma. That was the key to activate the Sharingan for the first time. The same thing had happened to Sasuke...

"After that" Naruto continued. "The two boys managed to save Rin together, but before they could escape, the enemy ninja caused the cave where they were to collapse. A rock hit the prodigy and Obito pushed him out of the way of a boulder... only to be crushed instead... "

Sasuke's eyes widened.

"He ... died?" the young raven asked.

Naruto looked down.

"The right half of Obito's body was completely crushed" Naruto said with a sad gaze. "The prodigy tried desperately to remove the rock, but it was too late... Obito was dying. There was nothing they could do to save him.

The prodigy was overcome with guilt... all he could think was that if he had come to save Rin from the beginning, nothing would have happened... that he was a terrible Jonin. It was then that Obito said he would offer him his gift, since he had been the only one who hadn't done so. His gift was his preserved left Sharingan. "

"His Sharingan?" Sasuke asked, bewildered. "He offered  _ **his**_  Sharingan to a person outside the clan! The symbol of the Uchiha? "

Naruto continued to watch Sasuke peacefully. He knew he wouldn't understand.

"That wasn't the point... To Obito, it didn't matter that his teammate was not an Uchiha. He told the prodigy he knew he would die, but he would continue to see the future through his left eye. "

It was then that Sasuke finally realized the truth. The scar on his left eye... the Sharingan ...

"The prodigy... You're saying that..."

Naruto smiled and nodded slowly.

"You finally got it. The prodigy accepted the Sharingan and became famous... he became known as Kakashi of the Sharingan. "

"Kakashi was the prodigy?"

"Exactly. Kakashi-sensei changed after Obito's death and started worrying more about the safety of his companions than completing a mission successfully. Obito was the one who told him before leaving to save Rin:  _Those that break the rules and regulations are scum. But those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum._ "

Sasuke didn't know what to think or what to say. He never imagined that Kakashi had received the Sharingan that way. It never crossed his mind that an Uchiha would be able to offer its eyes to someone outside the clan on their own free will.

Sasuke would be unable to do so.

"Why are you telling me about this, Naruto?" Sasuke asked.

"Because I saw the way you looked at sensei."

Sasuke blinked.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You were so full of hatred" Naruto continued, with his uncharacteristically serious blue eyes. "I saw that you resented Kakashi-sensei because he has a Sharingan. You think he has no the right to have one... I believe if you had the opportunity, you would tear Obito's Sharingan from his eye socket. "

"What are you, Naruto? A telepath?" Sasuke replied sourly. Naruto was right, but Sasuke hated that the blond was capable of knowing what he felt so easily, like he was an open book. "You don't know what goes on in my head."

"I told you sensei's story because I wanted you know what had happened instead of assuming that he robbed a Sharingan from a member of your clan. That is all ... If you decide you don't believe me and you still hate Kakashi-sensei because he has a Sharingan, the decision is yours alone. I just thought you should know the truth. "

Sasuke looked away.

"I don't care the way he got the eye" said the Uchiha, stubbornly. "The Sharingan is the symbol of the Uchiha power. Kakashi is not an Uchiha; he's not allowed to have that eye. "

"So you think Obito shouldn't have given him the eye? You think he was a fool for doing it? A traitor of the Uchiha?"

Sasuke could not answer. Rather, Naruto continued to observe him.

"Do you know why sensei was always late?" Naruto asked. "Because he goes to see the memorial stone where Obito's name is carved everyday and loses the track of time. Sensei never forgot him and continues to blame himself for his death. In fact... do you know why he was assigned to our team? "

Sasuke shrugged. Part of him, didn't want to hear more revelations. It was so much easier to just hate them all.

"Because you two have very similar personalities."

Sasuke looked back at Naruto, not hiding his incredulity.

"Similar? Me and him? I doubt it."

"Sandaime Jii-chan thought long before he joined us" Naruto revealed. "With his Sharingan, Kakashi-sensei would be the best person to train you. In addition, he was my father's student and be able to contain the Kyuubi... although the Third hoped that, with time, it would be you the one responsible for keeping the fox contained with your Sharingan. "

Sasuke's dark eyes widened slightly before that information. He knew that the Uchiha had the power to control the Kyuubi, but it had never crossed his mind that the Third Hokage wanted Sasuke to help Naruto control it.

What eventually happened was exactly the opposite. Naruto fought against Sasuke using the power of his Bijuu.

"Why are you talking about that now?" Sasuke muttered. "Telling me this won't change anything. Forget it!"

"Very well" Naruto replied, sighing. "But I would like to ask you something..."

Sasuke looked at him frowning and with a sullen expression.

"What?"

Naruto opened his mouth but then closed it, shaking his head.

"Nothing ... It doesn't matter..."

"Spit it out, Usuratonkachi!" the raven cried.

Naruto hesitated for a few seconds, but ended up talking.

"Why did you want to kill me that day on the hospital roof?"

Off all things, Sasuke was not expecting that question. He merely stared at Naruto with a surprised expression.

"That day when we went to visit you in the hospital" Naruto continued. "You threw Sakura-chan's apple to the ground and said you wanted to fight me... no more no less. I was happy; I thought you finally considered me a rival, but that wasn't what you were feeling. You didn't stop insulting me even before we fought. At first, I thought you were fighting me seriously and not holding back, but then I realized it was more than that. You were so mad at me... You... hated me and seriously wanted to kill me. "

Sasuke looked away.

"Why, Sasuke?" Naruto Asked. "What did I do to make you hate me so much?"

The young Uchiha's throat felt tight. Obviously he remembered that day on the roof, as well as all the emotions that he had experienced. He knew the answer to Naruto's question, but he could not tell him... he refused to tell him.

"Mind your own business, Naruto!" the Uchiha growled sharply. "Why do you want to know that now? It's been years! Forget it and leave me alone. Bury the past! It's useless to talk about it now. Whether I wanted to kill you or not, it's my business!"

Naruto's eyes suddenly turned cold. The blond rose from the table slowly.

"I see" Naruto replied, keeping his voice calm but also cold and distant. "I'm sorry I bothered you. It won't happen again."

Before Sasuke could say anything, Naruto left the kitchen and went into his bedroom.

* * *

To Sasuke, the rest of the day was agonizing.

He didn't want to go to the living room, so he went back to Naruto's son bedroom and tried to fall asleep without success. He felt... wrong. He could not remember ever having felt so uneasy and unhappy.

Whenever he felt sad, it was always because of his own tragedies. He never felt sorry for hurting or upsetting someone. Until now.

_"Naruto is angry with me_ _"_  thought the young raven. It was the only thing he could think as much as we tried to convince himself that he had no reason to feel guilty.

For God's sake! The blonds' feelings never bothered him before… so why did he felt so low now? Why was the thought of Naruto being angry at him so painful?

_"I don'_ _t want him to hate me"_  said a little voice in his subconscious.

Suddenly, Sasuke got out of bed, knelt on the wooden floor, grabbed lots of toys and started placing them in the drawers and shelves. He cleaned the whole room: placed the books and mangas on the shelves, picked up all the colored pencils and crayons off the floor and put them into a cup, joined the drawings scattered on the floor and tidied up the toys that had been thrown under the bed.

Sasuke wasn't sure why he was doing this. The only thing that was in his mind was that if Naruto saw the room clean and tidy, he would be proud of him and less angry...

_**"I ... I just wanted you to like me again** _ _**."** _

As the headache returned, Sasuke made a huge effort not to scream and lay down in bed.

Why? Why he felt so bad about himself? This had never happened before.

After thirty unbearable minutes, Sasuke left the room and went to the bathroom to wash his sweaty face and wipe the tears from his eyes. He had to breathe deeply several times until he stopped shaking. As he left the bathroom, his black eyes were fixed on Naruto's bedroom door.

Sasuke remained standing at the door, not knowing what to do. His right hand lightly touched the handle, but stopped quickly. What would he do?

Then, the bedroom door opened suddenly and hit Sasuke in the face, making him fall to the ground.

"What the... SASUKE?" Naruto yelled as he saw the Uchiha lying on the ground with two bloody hands covering his nose. "What happened? Did I hit you with the door? Let me see?"

Sasuke groaned but let Naruto take his hands of the nose.

"Eh... Ok ... we need to put some ice on it," Naruto said, grabbing Sasuke by his arms and forcing him to stand up. "Let's go to the toilet downstairs, okay? Lift up your head... that's it! Don't worry about the stairs... I'll lead you down there. "

Sasuke said nothing, simply complying with Naruto. When they reached the bathroom downstairs, Sasuke sat on the toilet seat while Naruto wiped his face with a wet cloth.

"I don't think it's broken" the blond said, rubbing the towel gently on Sasuke's face. "But keep your head up, okay? I'll get the ice. "

Sasuke moaned something in response and Naruto went swiftly to the kitchen to get ice from the freezer. When he returned and placed the bag on the raven's nose, Sasuke finally spoke.

"I was jealous of you" the Uchiha said, not looking at Naruto.

Caught by surprise, Naruto didn't understand what he meant.

"What? What are you saying?"

"I was angry" the Uchiha continued, the words coming from his lips as if he couldn't control them anymore, confessing feelings that he had sworn to himself never to tell anyone. "I lost against Gaara and you were able to defeat him. I felt so weak. I could not believe that you had succeeded in defeating someone I couldn't. Then… Itachi came, not to see me, but because he was interested in you. He didn't have to struggle to beat me... it was like five years of training had been for nothing. I was still too weak to defeat Itachi, and you seemed to get stronger by the day... I was furious and filled with envy of you. I didn't want you to be stronger than me... That's why I couldn't acknowledge you… that would mean that I was standing still. That's why I challenged you on that day. I couldn't bear the thought of being weaker than you…"

Naruto listened in silence, holding the bag of ice.

"Thanks for telling me" said the blond, smiling slightly though Sasuke could not see his face.

* * *

Hours later, Naruto was trying to get the bloodstains of the towel when the doorbell rang. Throwing the towel at the dirty sink, the blond shinobi opened it.

Tsunade and Shizune stood by the door.

"Hi, Naruto-kun" said Shizune.

"Good afternoon" greeted the Hokage. "Can we come in?"

"Sure, come in" Naruto said, turning away to let them in the house.

Tsunade looked around and noticed the bloody towels that hung in the sink.

"What the hell happened here?" the Hokage demanded to know. "Were you two fighting again?"

"No! It was an accident, Baa-chan" Naruto retorted. "I... ah ... slammed the door in Sasuke's face."

"Oh! He broke his nose? "

"I think not..."

"That's unfortunate."

"Baa-chan..."

"Sorry, Naruto. But I must admit that I don't like Uchiha Sasuke. I understand pain and I understand the bad decisions that suffering can cause. But this guy... Anyway... how is he doing? "

"He had some seizures," Naruto explained. "And he's acting... a bit strange lately."

"What do you mean?"

Naruto told them about the crying, the drawings on the fridge, how Sasuke clung to him in bed and finally, how he had wet the bed last night and gone to bed in the room upstairs.

Tsunade was perplexed.

"He did? Any idea why?"

Naruto shook his head.

"No... But I can see that he is confused. He doesn't understand why he acts the way he does. "

The Hokage nodded.

"Did you tell him the truth? About you? About Itachi?"

"No. I couldn't do it..." Naruto admitted. "He wouldn't react well. He... He'd be shocked and furious. Maybe even… disgusted."

Tsunade could see the deep sorrow in Naruto's eyes. She wished that the news she brought were better.

"Naruto..." she said. "We came because we finished his blood test. We have the results."

Naruto's eyes widened. His heart started beating faster.

"What did you find? Is he going to be okay?" the blond asked, finally showing his anxiety.

Tsunade lowered her eyes.

"Naruto... if you do not mind, I'd rather talk to Sasuke first."

 


	8. The Tale of the Misbehaved Child

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! We're reaching the final stage of Raven's Fall. I hope you keep enjoying it until the end.
> 
> Sasuke is a lot OOC in this chapter, but that's explained.
> 
> Well, good read!

**The Tale of the Misbehaved Child**

物語は、子供を誤動作  _(Monogatari wa, kodomo o godōsa)_  


The swelling in Sasuke's nose was disappearing fast.

After having assured Naruto that didn't need more ice, Sasuke went up again to his room and crawled into bed. Strangely, he felt better after talking with Naruto and explained what had happened on the hospital roof. The blond was more friendly with him after telling him the truth and (though Sasuke couldn't understand why) he had been relieved that Naruto wasn't angry with him anymore.

The young Uchiha was about to fall asleep again when he heard voices downstairs. Intrigued, Sasuke sat up in bed and listened to the voices approaching as they climbed the stairs. Shortly thereafter, someone knocked at the door.

"Come in!"

When Naruto opened the door slowly, Sasuke looked at him with confusion. But when Tsunade and her assistant entered the room, his expression immediately got angry and defiant.

"What are  _ **they**_  doing here?"

Tsunade snorted with contempt.

"It's good to see you too, Sasuke" said the Hokage, her frowning as much as Sasuke. "The last time I saw you were a lot nicer... and unconscious."

Sasuke turned to Naruto.

"What does she want?"

"Easy" Naruto said, trying to sound as stern as possible. "Tsunade Baa-chan came to talk with you about your... illness. She and Shizune Nee-chan were studying the drugs Kabuto used in you and finally have the results. "

Sasuke blinked and his face became a mixture of anxiety and fear before he could control it.

"So?" the raven asked, with the calm and coolness of a distinctive Uchiha.

Tsunade turned to Naruto.

"Naruto, do you mind leaving us alone?" the Hokage asked.

Naruto looked surprised but nodded slowly. However, before reaching the door, Sasuke spoke.

"Why does he have to leave?"

Both Naruto and Tsunade were surprised by the panic in the Uchiha's voice.

"Because we're going to talk about your health," Tsunade said. "I thought you wanted the matter to be private and..."

"I want him to stay" Sasuke interrupted, his eyes fixed on Naruto.

Tsunade and Naruto exchanged glances.

"Fine..." the blonde Hokage sighed. "Naruto can stay."

Without saying a word, Naruto returned to the bed, next to Sasuke, noticing that the raven seemed relieved.

"Well..." the Hokage began. "First of all, we discovered why Kabuto's drugs don't wear of: they crystallized and are gradually released into your blood stream. That's why we have no idea of the actual amounts of chemicals that he injected in you. "

Sasuke's mouth became dry.

"And what does that mean for me?" the Uchiha asked. "Have you found a cure or not?"

Tsunade pulled a lock of hair away from her face and stared at the two anxious ninjas in front of her.

"No... I tried everything I know and researched all sources of information available to us. I couldn't find anything. I'm sorry... "

Sasuke turned pale as a ghost and his hands began to shake. Naruto wasn't better.

"Baa-chan... what will happen now?" the young blond ninja asked.

Tsunade stared at Naruto's terrified eyes.

 _"Poor Naruto_ _..."_  she thought.  _"You don't deserve this... not after what you went through..."_

"I won't quit," the Hokage said. "I will continue looking for information even if I have to ask for help from other villages."

"What about Sasuke?" Naruto asked again. "What will happen to him until you find a cure?"

Sasuke tried to stare at the Hokage, but couldn't. The raven kept his head down and his hands clenched over his trousers, trying not to scream.

"His brain isn't enduring the drug's effects" Tsunade said. "If we don't find a cure quickly and remove, at least, the drugs that are affecting the brain, he will get worse and worse."

Naruto noticed that Sasuke's eyes were wide with fear. The Uchiha was so pale that Naruto was afraid he would faint.

"Worse?" Sasuke asked, still looking at his contracted hands on his knees. "How worse?"

"Headaches, fainting, hallucinations, changes in mood and personality..." the medical ninja said. "The truth is that not even I am able to know what will happen."

"What's the worst that can happen to me?" Sasuke asked, but deeply afraid of the answer.

Tsunade took a deep breath before answering.

"Worst case scenario... dementia, coma and death."

The Uchiha's mouth opened but no sound came out, as if his voice was trapped in his throat.

Tsunade turned to Naruto.

"The coming weeks may prove very difficult. In my opinion Naruto, he should go to a place where he could be watched at all times and with people who can best handle this situation. "

Naruto's eyes widened.

"What do you mean, Baa-chan?"

Sasuke stopped shaking.

"I want Sasuke to come with me to a proper location. It will be very hard from now on... it will be difficult and complicated to take care of him, especially because you know each other for so long and because of your... history. It's the right thing to do... "

"No!"

Tsunade, Shizune and Naruto turned to the Uchiha. Sasuke finally had raised his eyes and stared at Tsunade with horror on his face.

" _No?_  Sasuke, this is for your own good..." Tsunade continued, but Sasuke interrupted her again.

"I don't want to go! I don't want to leave!"

The Hokage frowned.

"In your condition, you don't have much of a choice" Tsunade said, angry with the Uchiha's arrogance and stubbornness. "You're being a selfish fool. You think it's easier for Naruto to be here and put up with you all day? You weren't nice as healthy, what do you think you'll be like sick? All you do is cause people pain! After all you did to Naruto you could at least leave him in peace. He has suffered enough because of you!"

To everyone's surprise, Sasuke turned to Naruto with his eyes brimming with tears.

"Do you want me to go?" the raven asked, showing all the fear he felt in his voice. Naruto was so astonished that couldn't even react. "You told me you didn't hate me... and now you are going to get rid of me?"

Everyone was in shock at the Uchiha's completely unexpected behavior.

"Sasuke..." Naruto whispered.

"Don't send me away... I won't go... please..." Sasuke groaned, getting up from bed and clinging to Naruto. "You're all I have!"

Naruto wrapped his arms around Sasuke and hugged him, feeling his thin body shaking and sobbing against his.

"I won't send you away" Naruto said, turning to the Hokage. "He stays with me, Baa-chan."

"But Naruto..."

"He stays. I could handle him until now" the blond stroked Sasuke back. "I want to be with him."

Tsunade nodded sadly. She knew it would be almost as hard for Naruto as it would to Sasuke, but she also knew that Naruto didn't want to be separated from the raven.

"Very well" Tsunade turned to Shizune, it was time to leave. "When I find something I'll let you know. Keep me informed as well, Naruto. "

Naruto nodded and continued hugging Sasuke silently as the Hokage and assistant left the room and the house.

Sasuke continued to cry for long time, always clinging to Naruto, afraid that if he let go, they would be separated from each other.

Naruto continued to stroke his back and hair, trying to suppress his own tears. The guilt he felt was unbearable… it was his fault that Sasuke was like this.

 _"If only I had been more care_ _ful that day..."_  the blond thought with grief.

* * *

The next few weeks went by slowly. Sasuke went to sleep every night in Naruto's son bedroom, and the blond never objected.

When he wasn't asleep, Sasuke left the house to take walks on the beach. He would usually sit in one of the many rocks and watch the sea water in silence. Naruto also preferred to maintain the distance, giving the Uchiha the space he wanted. Since it was winter, we rarely saw people on the beach, except for one or two fishermen. So, Sasuke had the beach all to himself.

Sasuke knew he was getting worse. Nightmares plagued him every night, though he couldn't remember them when he woke up. The panic attacks had become more frequent and Sasuke had even see blood dripping from the shower when he was taking a bath, only to realize it had been a delusion when Naruto went into the bathroom, pulled him out of the tub, wrapped him in a towel and told him that there was no blood.

"I'm going crazy..." the Uchiha muttered, still staring at the blue waters of the sea. Although today the day was sunny, the young ninja couldn't feel its heat.

He also hadn't told Naruto, but he was losing his memory. Recently, he found every hard to remember jutsus that he should have performed countless times before. He couldn't remember how to do the hand seals, nor of how to summon the chakra. Sometimes, he couldn't even remember the jutsu's name.

Not only was his knowledge disappearing, but also the names of people and places he used to know. He couldn't remember the name of the redhead girl who had belonged to Taka. Shortly afterwards, he forgot the names of the other two ninjas as well. He remembered having killed one of the elders of Konoha but, even though he remembered the battle, he couldn't remember the man's name.

During meals, Naruto spoke of people and places that Sasuke felt more and more difficult to keep in mind. The raven pretended to understand everything and nodded, but inside he was panicking.

"I received a letter from Baa-chan today" Naruto said at lunch. "She said she has already sent several requests for help out of Konoha."

Sasuke looked up and stared at Naruto with a confused expression.

"Konoha?" asked the young Uchiha.

"Yes," Naruto confirmed, but seeing Sasuke's face, he frowned. "Are you okay, Sasuke?"

"What is...  _Konoha_?"

Naruto's eyes widened.

"The hidden leaf village" the blond said, worried about the Uchiha's confused look. "Our hometown... Sasuke, you don't remember?"

At that moment, Sasuke got up from the table and walked out the door. He couldn't remember! He couldn't remember his own homeland!

He ran down the beach until he was exhausted and sat in a rock.

Sasuke was about to walk away when he heard the sound of laughter. With some curiosity, he watched a family arrive to the beach, where they placed their towels and a picnic basket. The three children took off their clothes quickly until they were left with their swimsuits and threw themselves into the sea, laughing and screaming with joy.

 _"They'_ _re so lucky"_  Sasuke thought, looking at the young children.  _"They have a lifetime ahead of them... They can do whatever they want... they're not dying…"_

Their father ran towards them and began to play together.

Sasuke felt tears running down his cheeks. Why he had been born at all? What was the purpose of his existence? To suffer? He could only remember moments of suffering and darkness; the happiness moments were very rare. He knew he had made his choices... he always thought his purpose was to avenge the clan, and then he would find happiness. But that would never happen. He had failed… He had sacrificed everything to become strong and get his revenge, but it was all in vain. Now he had nothing left...

He was going to die. Tsunade wasn't going to find a cure in time.

One of the children threw himself into the arms of his father who made him twirl in the air.

 _"I wish I could start all over again..."_  Sasuke looked back at the smiling innocent children.  _"I wish I could be like them."_

The father and the children began to play tag.

_"I wish... I had a lifetime ahead of me..."_

An orange glimpse made Sasuke turn around. To his surprise, he saw Naruto walking down the beach towards the many rocks that rose like small mountains in the middle of the ocean.

The blond stopped and turned to Sasuke, obviously knowing that he had been there all day, and beckoned him with a mischievous smile, typical of Uzumaki Naruto. Sasuke blinked, confused, until Naruto waved him to come to him.

Intrigued, the Uchiha wiped his tears on the back of his hand and ran towards Naruto. Only when he reached the blond did he realize the bucket full of sardines that he had in one hand.

"What do you want, Naruto?"

"I decided to stroll through the rocks" Naruto said, pointing to the rocks filled with algae and mussels. "Wanna come with me?"

Sasuke wondered at Naruto's sudden joy. The mood at home was like a wake. Sasuke did not want Naruto to see his personality changes, so he spent most of his time hiding in the bedroom or out, taking solitary walks along the coast. Until now, Naruto didn't try to oppose him.

"No..." the Uchiha said, preparing to leave. "I'm going back home. I'm tired."

Instead of him letting go, Naruto grabbed his right wrist and pulled him toward the rocks.

"Come on! It'll be cool and I don't want to go alone!" the blond exclaimed. "Also, I want you to see something!"

"What?"

"It's a surprise!"

Sasuke had no choice and let Naruto lead him through the rocks, dipping its toes in the waves that crashed along with them. After what seemed an eternity of corridors and tunnels into the rocky cliffs, Naruto stopped and dropped Sasuke's wrist.

"It's here" said the blond.

Sasuke looked around but saw only rocks and ocean ahead.

"What is here? And why did you bring a bucket of fish? "

Naruto smiled again.

"You will see soon" replied the blond, looking out into the ocean. "Ah! They're here!"

Before Sasuke could say anything, Naruto pulled out a sardine from the bucket and threw it into the sea. A few seconds later, the head of a dolphin came to the surface and ate the fish. Before long, more appeared.

"Dolphins?" asked Sasuke.

"Yup" Naruto confirmed, and tossed another sardine into the midst of the excited animals.

Sasuke sat next to Naruto and watched the dolphins jumping and eating happily.

"Want to try?" the blond asked, handing him the bucket.

For a moment, Sasuke looked at the bucket like he didn't know what it was. Then, almost awkwardly, he took a sardine and tossed it directly to the hungry mouth of a dolphin.

The animals shrieked with joy and approached them. They were so close that Sasuke's pale hand reached out and patted the head of one of them. He wasn't even aware that he was smiling.

The two former team-mates fed the dolphins for several hours, laughing at their shrieks and acrobatics. When they returned to the beach, Naruto called Sasuke.

"Hey! Teme!"

When the raven turned he was hit by wet sand.

"Ow! What the hell are you doing?"

Naruto just laughed.

"Don't blame me for being slow" the blond replied with an irritating smile of victory.

Sasuke grimaced and threw wet sand into Naruto's face, leaving the blond woozy.

"Bulls eye... Dobe."

Without further ado, the two ninjas attacked each other with sand and seawater. Shortly thereafter, they were fighting on the ground, a tangle of legs, hands, shouting and insults. Only when they were both exhausted and lying next to each other, they realized they were laughing as well.

They returned home completely soaked and dirty with sand. Naruto took a bath first, followed by Sasuke. While he washed in the shower, the raven couldn't stop smiling. He couldn't remember having so much fun. He felt so alive.

When he was dressed and dry, Sasuke left the bathroom and went upstairs. To his surprise, he saw Naruto sitting on the sofas in the living room, his eyes fixed upon a framed photo.

Sasuke entered the room, but Naruto didn't even notice him. It was then that the raven realized tears in the blonds' eyes. Although his face remained impassive, Naruto's eyes were full of hurt.

Seeing him like this made Sasuke feel... sad.

"Naruto?"

The blond awoke from his thoughts and turned to Sasuke, quickly hiding the picture in one pocket.

"You're finished, huh?" Naruto asked with a smile. "Want something to eat? I still don't know what to make for dinner... "

Despite his smile, Sasuke realized that Naruto was still depressed, but didn't want to show it. That made Sasuke feel left aside.

"What's that photo?" The raven asked, pointing to Naruto's pocket.

"Photo?"

"The photo you were watching. I saw you."

A little nervous, Naruto nodded slowly.

"Oh! This picture?" The blond took the picture from his pocket, but kept it facing downwards. "It's nothing special..."

Realizing that Naruto was hiding something from him, Sasuke felt angry.

"Can I see it?"

Naruto gulped, but gave the frame to Sasuke, who sat beside him on the couch.

The first person Sasuke recognized in the photo was Naruto. The blond was about sixteen years old in the photo and was dressed in his traditional orange jumpsuit, but was missing his Hitai-hate on his forehead. Behind him were several frogs that the Uchiha deduced they were the animals he summoned with the Kuchiyose.

But what most shocked the Uchiha was the black-haired baby in Naruto arms. The child was less than a year old and was sleeping wrapped in a blue blanket.

"He is...?" Sasuke asked, unable to look away from the baby's face.

Naruto smiled sadly.

"It's my son" said the blond staring at the startled expression on Sasuke's face.

"Your... son..." the raven whispered, almost to himself.

"Yes... he was very young when we took this picture. He must have been about nine months old. "

Sasuke continued to stare at the baby, as if hypnotized. There was something familiar about the child... no... it was more than that...

_"What is this feeling?"_

Suddenly, Sasuke felt something was wrong, very wrong. It was the feeling that something terrible had happened.

"Sasuke? Are you feeling okay?" Naruto asked. Sasuke was very pale and was breathing strangely.

Naruto took the picture of the raven's hands and helped him lie on the couch. Slowly, Sasuke was recovering color.

"Want a glass of water?"

"No..." the Uchiha said, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "I'm fine."

Naruto put his picture on the table and sat next to Sasuke.

"Ne... Sasuke?"

"Hm?"

"Can I ask you a question?"

"What kind of question?"

"Well... it's a personal question... and... I don't want you to be upset with me or think I'm meddlesome."

Sasuke lifted his hand from his forehead and looked at Naruto's worried face.

"I'm not going to be upset with you" the Uchiha said. "What do you want to ask me?"

Naruto glanced at the picture before facing Sasuke.

"How were your parents like?"

Surprised by the question, Sasuke's black eyes widened.

"Why do you want to know?"

"I ... I didn't live with my parents... Most of the time, I have no idea how to raise a child. I keep screwing up..." Naruto's eyes became sad once more. "So… I wonder how your parents raised you."

Sasuke sighed. Speaking about his family was painful, but looking at Naruto's worried expression, Sasuke couldn't tell him no.

"My mother raised me... she was home most of the time, so it was her who was always there. Tou-san... he was almost always working... he was... a very busy man. My brother was always very mature and patient, it was he who played and trained with me. "

Naruto nodded.

"What did your parents do when you were disobedient or rude?" the blond asked.

"Huh? I was never disobedient! My father only had to say my name and I behaved. In our clan, appearances were essential. I didn't have the luxury of being an annoying brat. "

"So... your parents never punished you? For your tantrums or stuff like that? "

Sasuke shook his head. He never talked to anyone about his family before; he'd rather keep his memories to himself. However, he didn't mind talking to Naruto.

"No. I never threw tantrums in front of them, only with Itachi, and he was never angry with me. Nii-san was... kind."

"I see..." said Naruto.

Sasuke didn't like the sadness in the blond's eyes.

"Why are you asking me that, Naruto? Your kid misbehaves?"

"Huh? No... He is usually very well behaved; it's just that ... we had a big fight the last time I talked to him. "

"A fight?"

Naruto got up and walked to the window.

"It was a bad day" Naruto said. "We had just moved into this house and I had spent the entire day unpacking our things. My son wanted to go see the dolphins, but I told him that we still had to go shopping. He pouted and said he could go see the dolphins on his own, but I didn't let him. He is still very young and I don't want him to go there without me.

I let him bring his wooden katana to the village, so he could have fun and let me do the shopping in peace. Then, he saw a group of men who were recruiting people to learn ninjutsu... They weren't to be trusted; they had probably failed the ninja academy and now devoted themselves to robbery and dirty jobs for those who pay them more. They wanted more members and were trying to convince the villagers to join them and be  _real ninjas_. My son's biggest dream is to be a ninja, so he immediately wanted to go with them. Obviously, I didn't let him. "

Sasuke sat on the couch, listening carefully to Naruto.

"He made a big scene and said I was always treating him like a baby. When I finally dragged him to a store, he grabbed his wooden katana and broke five vases on purpose. "

"Were they expensive?"

"5000 ryo each."

Sasuke could not help and shuddered.

"That was the last straw" Naruto continued. "I was tired and angry... so I took the katana from him and spanked his bottom three times, in front of everyone in the store. I told him he was grounded until the summer and couldn't play with the katana. He looked at me and said he hated me and didn't want to live with me anymore. "

Naruto lowered his head, his eyes hidden by the blond fringe.

"I was... too hard on him..." Naruto murmured sadly.

"Are you kidding? Damnit Naruto, you're too soft!" Sasuke replied. "The kid was being a brat and you punished him. You did what you had to do. "

Naruto turned to the raven.

"You really think so?" the blond asked, still depressed. "You have no idea how hard it was for me to hit him... I never raised my hand on him before. And when he said he hated me... "

"He doesn't hate you! He... " Sasuke looked away. "He was just angry."

Naruto smiled slightly.

"I hope so."

"And his mother didn't support you in your decision?" Sasuke asked, curious by the mother's absence.

"Well... my son is adopted" Naruto revealed. "I'm not married nor do I have a girlfriend, so... it's just me and him."

* * *

Close to one in the morning, Sasuke was still awake. The talk with Naruto about his son affected him more than he anticipated. Perhaps it was because he was ill, or perhaps he identified with the kid for sleeping in his room for weeks, feeling as comfortable as if he was in his own bed.

Sasuke had read all the boy's mangas in secret and even enjoyed them, as well the as children's books. He also discovered a bag of candy hidden in the socks drawer and, to his amazement, not only he ate them all but also hide the empty wrap up again.

Frustrated because he couldn't fall asleep, the young raven stood up and peeked through the bedroom window, watching the full moon reflected in the sea.

Sasuke couldn't believe that Naruto had adopted a child and raised him alone. Why would he do that? He was still so young... he could wait, marry and have children of his own later. What would have led him to adopt this boy? A boy who misbehaved and who had told him that he hated him.

 _"Stupid brat"_  Sasuke thought, remembering how Naruto seemed so unhappy.

Sasuke felt angry with the boy but at the same time he felt that his chest hurt, as if he had done something very bad, but could not remember what. He was confused... what was happening to him?

When the tears came again, Sasuke didn't even have the strength to feel humiliated. The raven cried in silence, staring at the dark room. He felt so alone.

No more holding on, Sasuke left the room. Naruto's bedroom door was open and he walked in slowly and quietly.

The blond was fast asleep in his bed, snoring occasionally. Before Sasuke knew what he was doing, he lifted the blankets and lay down next to Naruto. For several minutes, he just watched Naruto breathing, feeling strangely calm and safe.

When he got closer, Naruto held out his arms and pulled him against his chest. While he was sleeping, the blond stroked his back and hair gently and tenderly.

Against his will, Sasuke began to cry and sob. Ignoring all his pride, the Uchiha followed his instincts and clung to Naruto, unconsciously knowing that he was safe in that embrace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dolphins make everybody smile. Who doesn't love them?
> 
> In the next chapter, Sasuke finally reaches his limits and does something very drastic. Then, and only then, the whole truth is going to be revealed.
> 
> I hope you liked the chapter. See you next time!


	9. Raven's Fall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this is the longest chapter I've written for this story. I hope it's not too confusing, that's why I  
> added the dates. Phoenix Rising chapters connected to this one are chapters 18, 19 and 30.  
> By the way, Naruto didn't spank his son with the katana, he used his open palm!  
> Enjoy!

 

**Raven's Fall**

からすの落下するの ( _Karasu no rakka suru no_ )

 _February 16_ _th_ _, the next morning_

Naruto wasn't surprised by the presence of someone warm against his body. The blond squirmed on the bed, pushing the black haired head against his chest and rested his chin to his forehead.

When he finally lost the torpor of sleep, Naruto realized that the person who he was hugging was much bigger than it should be. Blinking, his vision improved until he saw Sasuke curled against him, his fists clutching Naruto's pajamas and breathing softly.

For a moment, Naruto thought about pushing the raven away, but he couldn't do it. Instead, he tucked the sheets and blanket around them.

"Huuuh..." the raven gasped, his face twitching as if he was having a nightmare.

"Shhh" Naruto whispered, turning to hug the teen. "It's okay. You can sleep... I'm right here..."

Slowly, Sasuke calmed down and his facial expression was peaceful again. When Naruto touched him with one of his hands, the young raven grabbed it and squeezed it hard.

 _"You haven'_ _t changed..."_  the blond thought.

Leaning his head against Sasuke, Naruto fell asleep inhaling a scent as familiar as his own.

* * *

A few hours later, Naruto woke again. It was late, so he had to get up.

The blond turned away from Sasuke, being careful not to wake him up, and went to the bathroom. When he returned to the bedroom to get dressed in silence, Naruto noticed that Sasuke had turned in bed: he was on his back, with one hand fisted on top of the pillow.

Smiling, Naruto took off his pajamas and wore his orange pants.

"Hmm..."

The blond looked again. Sasuke was moving around in the bed, stretching his hands and legs in search of his source of warmth and comfort. When he couldn't find it, the raven awoke.

"Good morning" Naruto greeted him jovially, watching Sasuke blinking in confusion.

The raven rubbed his eyes and sat up in bed. When he looked back at Naruto, Sasuke realized that he wasn't in his room.

Naruto couldn't help and smiled at the Uchiha's red face of embarrassment.

 _"Oh, shit! It happened again!_ _"_ the Uchiha thought.  _"What was I thinking when I went into bed with him? And there he is, laughing at me like an idiot! Fuck!"_

"When you're done with your inner monologue" Naruto said, shocking the Uchiha. "You can get up and help me with breakfast. I'm not your personal servant, you know? And you should smile and greet people in the morning ... that grumpy face of yours scares everyone. "

If possible, Sasuke blushed even more.

"Shut up! Spare me that bullshit, Naruto. "

"Bullshit? Its good advice" the blond replied, dressing his sweater.

"You can take your advice and shove it up your..." the raven grumbled, getting up and out of bed with a jump. However, Sasuke slipped on the carpet and clung to Naruto's sweater, trying not fall to the ground. As a result, Naruto's head went down while Sasuke's rose...

And their mouths met.

"BlEH !" they both cried at the same time, spitting and coughing.

"Damn it, Sasuke!" Naruto said, trying to wash his tongue with his hands. " _ **Again!**_  Why the hell is it  _ **always**_  with you? "

"And you think I liked it?" Sasuke snarled, wiping his tongue to his pajamas' sleeve.

"You were the one who grabbed me, Teme!"

"It was a fucking accident, Usuratonkachi! You think I wanted to kiss my own fa...!"

Both Naruto and Sasuke stayed silent and wide-eyed. Sasuke took both hands to his mouth, completely horrified by what he had almost said.

"Sasuke... what were you gonna say?" Naruto asked, carefully. But Sasuke shook his head furiously.

"Nothing!" the raven cried and left the room running.  _"What_ _ **was**_ _I about to say? What is wrong to me?"_

Sasuke grabbed his clothes and ran to the shower. He planned to take a long bath and try to forget what happened. It wasn't the kiss that scared him, though it was very disgusting, but what he felt after it. He felt disgust... not because he kissed a man, a former teammate or an enemy, it was...

* * *

Sasuke took almost an hour and a half in the shower to avoid having to take breakfast with Naruto. The blond decided to give him the space he wanted and left his food on the table before leaving home to get some fresh air.

The blue sky had disappeared behind the frightening looking dark clouds. A huge storm was on the way. Naruto just hoped the power wouldn't go off.

When he reached the beach, the blond sat in the sand and watched the waves crash against the rocks, leaving foam floating on the sea surface.

Naruto sighed and rubbed his tired eyes. Sasuke was with him for nearly two months now. Though the raven was oblivious, Naruto noticed all the changes he had went through since he had defeated him and brought him home, remaining silent. Naruto knew that he could never tell Sasuke the real reason why Kabuto had kidnapped him and, much less reveal what Itachi had done five years ago.

The blond felt an unbearable weight on his chest every time Sasuke suffered with those damn drugs that Kabuto had injected. How didn't he realize that he was being followed for so long?

Naruto took the only photo he had taken with his son from his pants pocket and looked at it while his mind wandered back to a not too distant past.

* * *

_December 5_ _th_ _, seventy-three days before_

_After the spanking, the little boy cried, with tears of pain and shame running down his crimson cheeks._

_Naruto got up from the floor and stared at the child with an angry expression. Everyone in the store was watching them, but the blond didn't care. He was exhausted from the trip and to have unpacked their bags for hours, so he had no patience to put up with a grumpy and spoiled brat. Behind them were the remains of five very valuable crystal vases, which would completely empty Naruto's wallet._

_"You're grounded until the summer!" Naruto mumbled, clutching the wooden katana. "And you can be sure you will never play with this again."_

_Seeing his favorite toy being taken, the boy exploded in rage._

_"You can'_ _t take my katana! It's mine! Not yours! "_

_"I can and I will" Naruto replied. "I've seen that I cannot trust you... Did you see what you did? You broke all the vases!"_

_"'C_ _ause you're stupid and mean!" the child shrieked, with new tears running down his face. "You didn't let me go with the ninjas! I wanna go with them! I don't want to live with you more! "_

 _"You're not going with them, period!"_ _the blond replied, trying hard to control his voice._

_The boy screamed even louder._

_"You always say I can't do anything! I'm not a baby, I'm big!"_

_"You acted like a spoiled baby when you broke the vases and humiliated me in front of all these people. You're not going with those men and if you call me "_ stupid _", I'll spank you again! Are we clear?"_

_"I hate you!" the child cried, enraged._

_"Right now, I don't like you very much either!" Naruto answered, making the mistake of yelling at the same intensity of the child._

_The boy threw at Naruto a gaze full of anger._

_"I hate you! I wish you were gone!"_

_Naruto turned to apologize to the owner of the shop. It was only for a few seconds, but when he looked back, his son had disappeared._

* * *

"Naruto?"

Returning to the present, Naruto looked back. Fukasaku and Gaara walked toward him.

"Hey" the blond greeted, rising from the sand and re-save the save the photo in his pocket. "I wasn't expecting you."

"I thought I should make you a visit" Fukasaku said before turning to Gaara. "The Kazekage-sama too."

"How you doing?" Gaara stared at Naruto with his usual poker face, though there was concern in his voice.

Naruto smiled sadly.

"I'm fine... it's not me that we have to worry about."

"Naruto-chan... you're suffering too."

Naruto shook his head.

"It doesn't matter. What I am suffering doesn't compare to Sasuke's pain" the blond replied, feeling his guilt crushing his heart.

"He has gotten worse?" Gaara asked. Naruto's face was answer enough. "What happened?"

"He... he is forgetting things. In the beginning, it was like he was just distracted, he started to remember if he thought hard... but not now. His mind is fading with each passing hour and I... I can't do anything to help. "

The old frog approached his pupil, and looked at him sadly.

"I'm sorry, Naruto-chan. But you need to be strong and have hope. Tsunade-chan will find a cure, if there's anyone capable of doing it it's her. You have to stay positive, or you won't be able to support Sasuke-chan."

Naruto nodded slowly, he knew he had to be strong for Sasuke or the raven would despair completely.

"You're right, Jii-chan Sennin" Naruto said, slapping his cheeks to awake. "At this time, that bastard must have finished eating. Let's go see him. "

* * *

When he had finished breakfast, Sasuke walked to the living room and sat on the sofas. Frankly, he hoped that Naruto took a very long walk, not wanting to see him so soon... not after what happened that morning.

To avoid having to think more about it, Sasuke took one of the books that were on the closet shelf. Perhaps one good story could calm him down and make him forget all those strange feelings he was having for Naruto. With each passing day, the raven became more dependent on Naruto. He began to fear that the blond would send him away and left him alone.

Naruto was the only person who could calm Sasuke when he had one of his panic attacks. Sometimes the desire to cling to Naruto was so strong that Sasuke had to leave the house or hide in the room so he wouldn't do something extremely embarrassing.

The feeling that something was wrong with him had too become a constant. It was as if he was trapped in a nightmare, but couldn't wake up. Sasuke's mind was deteriorating faster than ever... soon he would become a pathetic vegetal... a mere shadow of the powerful ninja who he used to be... a disgrace to the Uchiha name...

 _"Don't worry about it anymore"_  the Uchiha thought _. "Concentrate on something else... keep reading the book. I cannot have another panic attack. "_

The Uchiha was reading the book for several minutes when he noticed that he had trouble in understanding certain words. Intrigued, Sasuke went back to reading the same page, but could not understand the storyline.

"What ...?" Sasuke asked, rubbing his eyes and looking at the page once more.

To his horror, the kanji printed in the book no longer make sense. He could see the words but could not read them.

Sasuke lost his ability to read.

"No... Oh no..." the raven murmured, dropping the book to the floor.

In a desperate act, Sasuke grabbed another book but was unable to read it too. He grabbed three more and threw them on the floor when he realized that the kanji were just pretty gibberish in his head.

Increasingly frantic, the Uchiha grabbed a piece of paper and a pen. He tried to write a simple sentence, but couldn't remember how to spell. His hand couldn't even grab the pen as it should, like he wasn't used to to using it.

With sweat running down his face, Sasuke struggled to remember how to write, but it was useless. He tried to do some simple math... and even that was impossible. He didn't know the big numbers! He found himself using his fingers to count up to fifteen...

"This isn't happening to me... this isn't happening to me... I know this! I know! I can remember!"

Sasuke was almost hysterical. The efforts to recall those basic skills caused him a headache so terrible that he felt sick. Still, the raven failed. He no longer was able to read, write or count.

Despite all his body being in agony, Sasuke didn't stop and continued to try to remember.

"The jutsus... I have to remember them... I have to."

Although he trembled as green grass, Sasuke tried to make the hand seals and summon chakra. His most used jutsu... Chidori... he had to do it...

The raven failed several seals and lost control of his chakra. Lightning and pure chakra flitted in all directions, destroying the table, the couches and set the bookcase on fire.

* * *

Naruto, Gaara and Fukasaku felt the full blast of chakra out of control even before seeing the window explode.

"SASUKE!" Naruto shouted, running to the house.

The blond came thundering up the stairs and, when he entered the room, he gaped. Amid the living room's destruction, Sasuke fell to his knees and grabbed his head with both hands. The raven was screaming in anguish, surrounded by a swirl of destructive chakra.

Gaara and Fukasaku arrived seconds later.

"What is this?" Fukasaku said.

"He completely lost control of his chakra" Gaara replied, instantly preparing his sand.

Naruto couldn't stand, and though Gaara Fukasaku tried to stop him, he immediately threw himself against the electric waves, trying to reach Sasuke. The blond didn't shout in pain even when the lightning struck and burned him like steaming blades, the only thing he thought was to get close to Sasuke, who was still screaming.

The blond opened his arms and grabbed the Uchiha.

"Sasuke! It's okay!" Naruto shouted, trying to make himself being heard amid the explosions. "It's okay... calm down!"

Sasuke's screams became less intense and he was silent. At the same time, the chakra disappeared, leaving around the complete destruction of the living room.

Sasuke's was still panting as he looked at what he had done.

"Sasuke..." Naruto whispered.

Only then did the raven realize that Naruto was hugging him, his arms filled with injuries.

"You okay?" the blonde asked, completely ignoring his wounds.

Sasuke looked at Naruto with a gaze of fear in his eyes. Shortly after, his nose started bleeding, then his ears and, finally, his eyes...

"Sasuke!" Naruto yelled.

But Sasuke didn't hear anything else and passed out.

* * *

Tsunade left Sasuke's bedroom, carrying several bloody towels. In the hallway, Shizune had just healed Naruto's wounds, who jumped up and went to the Hokage.

"How is he?" the blond asked.

"Stable" replied the medical ninja, pointing to the stairs. "Let's talk in the kitchen."

The three ninjas went down the stairs in silence. When they reached the kitchen, they all sat at the table, including Gaara and Fukasaku.

Tsunade took a deep breath before speaking.

"I won't lie to you; Sasuke's situation is very serious. He is losing more and more skills and when he struggled to recover them, his brain collapsed due to stress. If he repeats this, it could be catastrophic. "

Naruto paled.

"And what can I do, Baa-chan?" the blond asked with a trembling voice. "There must be something I can do... anything..."

"Naruto... there is nothing you can do..." the Hokage said sadly.

* * *

Without anyone noticing, Sasuke regained consciousness. His head ached so much that he thought he was going to faint again.

Hearing voices, the Uchiha came downstairs. Near the kitchen, he leaned against the wall and heard the conversation.

* * *

"Tsunade-chan... you said you were gonna ask for help from other villages" Fukasaku said. "Have you had any luck?"

"No..." the blonde Hokage admitted. "Me and Shizune researched everything what other lands have provided us. I even asked the ANBU to bring me all the papers they found in Orochimaru and Kabuto's hideouts... there was no information about these drugs. "

Naruto felt difficulty breathing.

"There has to be... Tsunade Baa-chan..."

"Naruto you have to prepare for the worst..."

"No way! There must be something you can do to save Sasuke!"

"Naruto-kun..." Shizune whispered.

Naruto had tears in his eyes. His sorrow was bigger than anyone in that room could have imagined.

* * *

Hiding in the shadows, Sasuke had heard enough.

There was no cure... The last surviving member of the Uchiha clan would eventually wither and die a slow, painful and pitiful death.

Sasuke looked out the window. Outside, the dark clouds had accumulated, shining briefly before the sound of thunder. It was just like the day when returned home from the hospital and realized he would be completely alone, his parents dead and Itachi gone... There was also rain and thunder the day Itachi died... like the sky was in agreement with the sadness in Sasuke's heart.

Finally, the Uchiha realized what he had to do.

In silence, Sasuke left the house without being noticed and headed for the rocks in the ocean.

* * *

Shizune gave Naruto a glass of water, but the blond grabbed his face with his hands and ignored it. They were all silent, feeling powerless over Naruto's pain. How could things end up like this? It wasn't fair!

"I failed..." Naruto said in between sobs of grief. "This is all my fault. I wasn't able to protect him and Kabuto got him... and now ... I'll lose him forever..."

Nobody said anything. Everyone knew that there were no words that could reassure Naruto. They were all suffering with him, united by a secret that lasted for five years.

It was in this silence that they heard the roar.

"What the...?" Tsunade said. "This storm is not normal."

Shizune got up and looked out the kitchen window. Her black eyes widened in horror.

"Tsunade-sama!" the assistant cried. "The sky... something is happening!"

Everybody got up and rushed to the entrance door. Hundreds of lightning passed through the dark clouds in a strange way, accumulating at a particular point, just under one of the highest cliffs on the ocean.

"This storm is being controlled by chakra" said Gaara.

Naruto focused on the chakra, not wanting to believe what he felt.

"It's Sasuke!" the blond yelled.

"It cannot be" replied Tsunade. "He is not able to use chakra."

Naruto shook his head.

"It's him! I know! I know his chakra better than anyone! "

"But even if it's him, what is he doing?" Fukasaku said.

Naruto's eyes widened when he recognized the jutsu.

"Kirin... he is about to use Kirin."

Everybody gaped in shock.

"Kirin? He is gonna use Kirin against us?" Tsunade turned pale with anger. "That bastard..."

"No!" Naruto interrupted, completely horrified. "He's not using it against us... he is gonna use it against himself."

"What?" Gaara asked.

"Sasuke… is going to kill himself?" Tsunade asked.

Naruto gritted his teeth and ran towards the ocean. The framed picture fell from his pocket and the glass crashed to pieces in the hallway.

* * *

Sasuke felt that every cell in his body ached after he summoned chakra to climb to the top of the cliff and activated the Sharingan. His luck was that Kirin required so little chakra, nature had already been charged with creating the lightning, and all he needed was to guide them.

It was ironic that his most powerful original technique, that he created to kill Itachi, was the jutsu he would use to end his own life. It was fate... the day we heard he was going to die, gave him the necessary conditions.

The drops of rain came quickly, soaking Sasuke. But the raven didn't feel anything but resignation. His life was over...

Uchiha Sasuke, the last member of the Uchiha clan, would disappear from the face of the earth in an explosion of light and thunder. Nothing would be left of him.

* * *

Naruto was able to go into Sage Mode. When his speed increased dramatically, Tsunade and the others were immediately left behind.

The blond jumped from rock to rock, feeling the threatening presence of Kirin just above him. He had to fight this technique during the war... he knew too well its destructive power.

The cold rain didn't slow Naruto. He had to get to Sasuke... only that mattered. He hadn't felt so frightened ever since Kabuto had come to him.

* * *

_Na_ _ruto searched tirelessly for his son for two weeks._

_Despite all his ninja powers, even using the Sage Mode, even with the villagers help, Naruto could not feel the boy's chakra. It was as if his son had vanished._

_He q_ _uestioned the ninjas who were recruiting people, who trembled before his strength. They admitted that they had seen and spoken with the kid when he asked them to take him with them and teach him to be a ninja. They had laughed in his face and sent him away; they weren't interested in children._

_After fifteen days of searching, the blond was exhausted and desperate. He began to believe in what many of the villagers had told him: it was very likely that his son had fallen to the sea and drowned._

_Naruto searched all along the coast but found nothing._

_"Where are you?" the blond cried, burying his face in his hands._

_"Hello_ _... Naruto-kun."_

_Naruto's eyes widened and turned around. On top of a tree, with a smile filled with pleasure, was Yakushi Kabuto._

_"I don'_ _t believe it... You're alive!" Naruto exclaimed, astonished._

_"I am so sorry, Naruto-kun, but I'm not that easy to kill" said Kabuto. "I had to keep hidden and avoid calling attention not to be found... but that is something that you know already how to do very well."_

_The blond blinked._

_"What do you mean?"_

_"I have to admit that you surprised me. I didn't expect that you could hide so well. It was very difficult to find you... and Sasuke-kun. "_

_Naruto gulped, feeling his heart beating faster._

_"What?"_

_"The Shiraha clan's jutsu is truly extraordinary" the snake man hissed, not hiding the delight he felt by seeing Naruto pale. "Itachi had a genius idea: to use a rejuvenation jutsu in his crazy little brother to give him a second chance at life. I never imagined that he was willing to go that far. "_

_"How do you know?" Naruto roared._

_"Pure luck_ _" Kabuto said. "I found Sasuke-kun when you two were in the Land of Sun. I almost did not believe what my eyes saw... but it was him. Uchiha Sasuke playing with other children in a nursery school, like a three year old boy. I must say I was happy and frustrated at the same time... Madara promised me Sasuke-kun, so I was very pleased when I discovered that he was alive ... but that child was not the Sasuke-kun I wanted to study. He doesn't remember anything; he was a perfectly normal boy. So I decided to try to bring back his memories..."_

_Naruto could not believe his ears. His fists clenched and his eyes became scarlet._

_"YOU! It was you! Sasuke almost died! "_

_"I used a snake to inject him poison" Kabuto said, unmoved by Naruto's fury. "It didn't work like I expected. But it was also only the first test. "_

_"TEST? SASUKE IS NOT AN EXPERIENCE!"_

_"When I discovered that the_ _Shiraha clan's jutsu is considered irreversible, could not resist the challenge. I wanted to experiment more, but you two disappeared. I was so glad to have finally found you. "_

_Naruto's fury was replaced by pure terror._

_"You_ _... you have Sasuke," Naruto asked, Kabuto's malevolent smile was answer enough. "Where is he? What have you done? "_

_"You should thank me, Naruto-kun. I managed to bring your precious best friend back" Kabuto said. "Well ... almost. I couldn't give him back his true chronological age... the best I could do was age him until he was sixteen. Most likely, he has only memories up to that age. It's strange... but it is impossible to keep the memories he had after the jutsu and memories he had before the jutsu at the same time. In this case, to lose is to gain and to gain is to lose. "_

_"You made experiments with him... **for the challenge**? How dare you use my son as a guinea pig? "_

_Kabuto laughed spitefully._

_"_ _**Son** _ _**?**  You've really taken the jutsu seriously, huh? Sasuke-kun may have your blood and your DNA, but that doesn't change who he is. You and Itachi are both idiots blinded by love... do you really think that if you raised Sasuke-kun as if he was your son was going to change who he is? Sasuke-kun is an egotistic monster with insatiable lust for power. Nothing will change that. He is not your son! "_

 _"I don'_ _t care what you think. You'll never understand!" Naruto shot back. "What I feel for Sasuke won't change. Now... tell me where my son is! "_

_Kabuto jumped from the tree and attacked Naruto._

* * *

When Naruto landed on the rock, he finally saw Sasuke. The raven was looking at the sky with the Sharingan on, his expression strangely calm.

"Sasuke!" Naruto yelled.

Sasuke blinked and turned around. Seeing Naruto, his eyes widened.

"What are you doing here?" the Uchiha asked, with a mixture of confusion and fear.

"I came for you!" Naruto yelled. "What do you think you're doing?"

Sasuke looked up. The jutsu was almost complete.

"It's none of your business" replied the raven. "Go away!"

"No! I won't let you do this, Sasuke! I won't let you kill yourself! "

"It's my life!" Sasuke shot back. "You have nothing to do with it..."

Before Sasuke finished speaking , Naruto jumped towards him and slaped his face. Sasuke stumbled and touched his red cheek.

"IDIOT!" Naruto yelled . "When are you going to realize that when someone loves you, your life is not just yours anymore!"

When Sasuke looked back at Naruto, he opened his mouth in shock. Naruto was crying... thick tears were running down his already wet face. The blond's expression so full of pain that Sasuke was unable to answer.

"Why don't you see, Sasuke? Why can't you understand?"

Naruto grabbed Sasuke and hugged him tightly.

"Naruto...?"

"I couldn't protect you ..." the blond sighed. "I screwed up. I understand that you hate me... and that you don't want to be with me anymore. But... I want you to stay with me. I told you before… If I lost you, I couldn't stand it. "

" _ **You're my favorite person in the world! I love you so much that sometimes I think I'll burst. So stop having weird ideas and stop doing dangerous stuff.**_ _ **If I lost you, Sasuke ... I couldn't stand it. "**_

"Naruto? What are you talking about?"

"I don't care that you don't remember" Naruto continued. "I don't care what memories you keep... it doesn't change anything. I just want you to be happy. I love you so much..."

_**"If I make you a boo-boo... will you... hate me?"** _

_**"I couldn't hate you even you broke all the bones in my body."** _

_**"But... what if the boo-boo is too big? What if I say bad things and call you names? What if I run away? You won't love me anymore..."** _

_**"I can't hate you, Sasuke."** _

_**"Why?"** _

_**"Because you're my precious son!"** _

The raven felt eyes filling with tears. A part of him had no idea what was going on, but something inside him understood Naruto.

" _It hurts…"_  the young raven thought.  _"My heart hurts…"_

With a bang, Kirin came through the clouds. The two shinobi looked up and saw the lightning animal increase in size. Suddenly terrified, Sasuke pushed Naruto.

"Run! Get out!" Sasuke yelled. "You have to leave before it comes!"

Naruto shook his head.

"I'm not going anywhere" the blond replied with determination in his eyes.

"If you stay you will die... go away!"

Kirin was about to descend, Sasuke still tried to divert him, but he hadn't enough strength or chakra.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Two clones appeared next to Naruto. Within seconds, Naruto was holding his own original technique.

"Futon: Rasenshuriken!" Naruto yelled, throwing the jutsu against Kirin.

When the two jutsus collided, there was a huge explosion in the sky. Despite the wind element defeated electricity, the shock wave was directed against Naruto and Sasuke. The blond grabbed Sasuke and protected him, using his body as a shield.

* * *

The shock wave destroyed the rocks and headed for the beach, where Tsunade and the others still were. Despite the sand being wet, Gaara used all the strength he had and created a wall of sand around the island.

After several seconds of destruction, the shock wave ceased. Gaara dropped the sand on the floor and leaned on his knees, trying not to fall from exhaustion.

"You okay, Gaara?" Tsunade asked.

"Yeah..." the Kazekage nodded breathlessly. "We have to find them."

"You're right," agreed the Hokage. "Let's go!"

The three ninjas and Fukasaku sprang among the destroyed rocks, calling Naruto and Sasuke.

"Here!" Shizune yelled, making everyone run towards her.

Tsunade's eyes widened. Naruto was lying against a rock with Sasuke at his feet. Both were covered in blood. Wasting no time, the two medical ninjas rushed to help them.

Tsunade inspected Naruto, while Shizune saw Sasuke. The Hokage felt her throat tighten as she realized the enormous damage that Naruto had suffered. The blond had several broken ribs, had broken both arms and a leg and had a severe head injury. Not to mention the damage done to his internal organs. If they didn't take him to a hospital immediately, Naruto would bleed to death or die due to the bleeding that was pressuring his brain.

"This is bad... very bad ..." Tsunade groaned. "Shizune! How's Sasuke? "

"He's not hurt" replied the assistant. "Blood is Naruto-kun's... but there's something wrong with his brain..."

"We have no time" Tsunade turned to Fukasaku. "Please take me and Naruto back to Konoha. He needs urgent care! "

Still stunned, the old toad nodded.

"Shizune! Take the Sasuke to the hospital in the village "ordered Tsunade.

"I'm going with her" Gaara said.

Tsunade nodded. Seconds later, they disappeared in a burst of smoke.

Shizune and Gaara brought Sasuke to the ER. After waiting several hours, one of the doctors came to them to inform them of the test results. There was no doubt, Sasuke was in deep coma.

Fukasaku come pick them up soon after.

"Sasuke-chan is in a coma?" the frog asked.

"The doctors tried everything, but he doesn't wake up" said Shizune. "The only thing to do is wait..."

"How's Naruto?" Gaara asked.

"It's out of danger. Tsunade-chan called the medical ANBU secretly and managed to save him just in time. "

Shizune and Gaara breathed with relief.

"Naruto-kun heals very quickly..." Shizune said, trying to be optimistic. "He'll be fine."

"We hope so..." Fukasaku muttered. "Tsunade-chan ordered to keep him sedated and don't let him wake up."

"What?" Gaara asked. "Why did she do that?"

"Naruto-chan wounds are very serious. He needs complete rest... if he wakes, he will want to come to Sasuke-chan immediately. It is too dangerous ... Tsunade-chan doesn't want to take the risk. "

* * *

_Sasuke was back in the dark waters. Beside him_ _, were his parents and the rest of his clan. But Sasuke knew that those were not really his clan._

_The world where he was a part of his mind... a part that was disappearing. It was his memories and his feelings about his past. If he stayed there, he would fade away with them._

_Sasuke looked up, he could still see the light of the surface. He could get out if he wanted. He could swim to the surface and save himself as the world beneath him dissolved, but if he did, he would be turning his back on his past and enter a completely unknown world. A world of light..._

_Beside him, several members of his clan dissolved like smoke. He didn't have much time ... He had to decide._

_Sasuke looked back at the surface. To his surprise he saw Itachi on the other side of the water, smiling at him. Beside his brother, there was someone else... a blond man._

_Naruto..._

_Sasuke looked at the faces of his sleeping parents._

_"Kaa-san... Tou-san_ _... I love you both so much" Sasuke said, though his mouth was closed. "I wish we could be together again, but... I'm tired of living in darkness."_

_Sasuke touched the face of his mother and his father's arm._

_"Thank you_ _..." the raven said, throwing himself up and swimming towards the surface._

_Sasuke could feel the world beneath him disappear, and felt the heat from the surface more closely. He was almost there when something dark caught his legs. Sasuke tried to free himself but the black thing was very strong and began to push him down._

_That was his hatred._

_**"You** _ _**cannot forget"** _ _the_ _hate_ _said ._ _**"You must stay!"** _

_"I don'_ _t want to! I don't want to stay in the dark anymore" Sasuke replied. "I'm tired of hatred, sadness… of being alone forever... I don't want to be alone!"_

_Two hands grabbed Sasuke's wrist. The raven looked up and saw Itachi and Naruto grab him and pull him to the surface._

_The darkness tried to resist but eventually it dissolved along with the black world. Sasuke saw the surface become closer, until everything disappeared in a burst of warm light._

* * *

After a week in a coma, Sasuke became the fantasy of all females who saw him. Nurses, doctors and cleaning ladies liked looking at his beautiful sleeping features, despite the oxygen mask covering half his face.

Nobody knew much about the patient beyond his first name. Every two days, a black haired woman came to visit him and talk to the doctors, and then disappeared without trace. When asked by Sasuke's family, she said, reluctantly, that he had no living relatives.

That morning, Hina, one of the younger nurses, giggled at the envy of her colleagues as she headed to room 456 to check Sasuke's vital signs and change his pajamas. Every day, the nurses had rejoiced when their time came to check up on Sasuke, dress him, feed him and give him a bath.

Hina entered the room and sighed deeply as she saw the young raven. Her fantasy was that he would wake up following her voice (or maybe with a kiss, though it was risky) and fall in love at first sight. It would be like a fairy tale come true where the beautiful nurse wakes the prince from his enchanted sleep.

Still daydreaming, Hina opened the curtains of the room, illuminating it with the morning light. When she approached Sasuke to switch his pajamas, she casually looked at the monitor that measured his brain waves and blinked.

The pattern was different...

"What the...?"

Before the nurse could do anything, she heard a groan. Sasuke was moaning and clenching his eyes tightly, as if the morning light was bothering him.

Wasting no time, Hina left the room and called the doctor.

* * *

Sasuke could only see white wherever he looked. It was a white hot light, like the sun, and wasn't letting him sleep.

"Sasuke-san... Sasuke-san, can you hear me?" asked an unfamiliar voice.

Sasuke tried to go back to sleep, but the voice continued to call him.

"Sasuke-san! Please try to open your eyes. "

Sasuke groaned but eventually opened his eyes slowly. Everything was white, even the two people who were leaning over him.

"Okay, Sasuke-san" one man said. "Can you hear me?"

Sasuke nodded slowly, his eyesight also adapted to the light and he realized that he was an unknown white room.

"Where...?"

"You're in the hospital" said the man in white coat.

"Hospital?" the raven asked, confused. His voice was hoarse from thirst. "Why?"

"You were sick for a while. But don't worry. It will be okay, Sasuke-san. "

 _"Sasuke-san?"_  Sasuke thought even more confused. Why were they calling him that?

"I'm thirsty... Can I drink some water?" the raven asked.

The nurse immediately went to fetch him a glass of water and placed it on Sasuke's lips, who drank it all until the last drop. When he tried to get up, the doctor stopped him.

"Try not to make many efforts" advised the doctor. "You still need to rest."

"But I'm fine" Sasuke replied, coughing afterwards. His voice was weird...

"You've been in a coma for a week. You need to go slowly. "

Sasuke leaned back on the pillow and looked around but, besides the doctor and the nurse, there was nobody else in the room with him.

"Where's my Daddy?" the boy asked innocently, startling both the doctor and nurse.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I hope no one is confused anymore.
> 
> Sasuke-chan is back, though he still has the body of a sixteen year old. Next chapter, it will be revealed how he was kidnapped by Kabuto.


	10. Grown-up Boy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay... remember when I said this story could be twisted... here it comes. It's rated Mature for a reason! I understand Sasuke isn't acting exactly like a true five year old, but if he was too realistic the story wouldn't work. Even so, I tried to keep him as real as possible.
> 
> I would like to special thank the readers who went to see Phoenix Rising after reading the last chapter, I'm really glad you liked the story too. Like I said, I'll update it once I finish Raven's Fall.
> 
> Also, this is a side-story, it's not a sequel or an alternative story of PR. Think of this like a Naruto OVA or a Movie.
> 
> Well... enjoy!

**Grown-up Boy**

大人の少年 ( _Otona no shōnen_ )

Shizune came downstairs and opened the heavy metal door. As expected, Tsunade was studying the machines that registered Naruto's vital signs.

"Tsunade-sama, can I come in?"

The Hokage looked back and nodded.

"Yes ... Come in, Shizune."

The aide closed the door and got closer. Naruto was looking a lot better after a week of complete rest. They had taken away the bandages of his face and head: the bruising, swelling and the wounds were gone, not even leaving a scar.

Tsunade had been quite clear and threatening with the members of the ANBU medical team who had helped her take care of Naruto. No one would reveal the presence of the blond Jinchūriki in Konoha, or his health condition. Shizune didn't even want to think about what Sakura, or any of Naruto's friends, would do if they found out that he was in the village and in that condition. That had been the same reason they didn't say anything to Iruka.

"Naruto-kun seems to be recovering well" Shizune said, staring at the blonds' sleeping face.

"Yes... its regenerative ability never ceases to amaze me" Tsunade said, noting some more data on her medical report. "You went to visit Sasuke yesterday, right?"

Shizune nodded.

"Unfortunately... there have been no changes. Tomorrow morning, I will visit him with Fukasaku-sama. "

Tsunade put down the papers on the bedside table and looked at Naruto.

"Tonight we'll stop giving him sedatives" the Hokage said.

"Huh? Are you sure?"

"He is well enough to be discharged" Tsunade continued. "There's no need to keep him here longer."

"He'll be furious when he finds out that he's been kept sleeping all this time" Shizune said, twitchy.

Tsunade snorted and stuck her hands on her hips.

"I had no choice. Naruto would never been quiet in bed if he knew that Sasuke was in a coma in a hospital thousands of miles away" with a milder expression, Tsunade removed a lock of blond hair from Naruto's face. That boy was already part of her heart, she wouldn't lose him like she lost Dan, Nawaki and Jiraiya.

Naruto had grown so much in recent years, in body and mind. Tsunade only regretted that Jiraiya wasn't there with them... he would be so proud.

"I did what I had to do to save Naruto's life. Going to Sasuke would not change anything… Keep him sedated was my only choice to stop him" the Hokage said vehemently. "No parent wants to be separated from his child..."

* * *

Sasuke couldn't understand why the doctor and nurse were looking at him that way. It was as if he had said something stupid ... but he just asked where his father was!

"Sasuke-san... you should sleep a little longer" the doctor said, trying to smile. "You must be very tired."

"I'm not tired!" the raven shot back, coughing again. His voice? Why was it so low?

The doctor and the nurse exchanged worried glances. According to Shizune, the woman who came regularly check Sasuke's health, he had no living relatives. Maybe he was confused by having only just woken up, or perhaps he was suffering from amnesia. In most cases, the memories came back minutes or hours later... unless the patient had severe brain damage. Either way, they had to make more tests and keep him calm.

"I'm not sick" Sasuke continued, with his strange new voice. "Can you call my Tou-chan? I want to go home. "

"I know you think you're alright... but you've been in a coma. That's something very serious. "

The young man frowned.

" _Coma?_  What's that? "

"It means you were asleep" Hina intervened, blushing slightly. "You slept for a while and couldn't wake up."

Sasuke blinked. He looked even more confused.

"Well... let's let you rest" the doctor said, grasping Sasuke's medical records and heading for the door. "If you need anything, just press the bell and a nurse comes right to you."

The doctor left the room, with the intention to order several exams for Sasuke. Hina also headed for the door, but didn't leave before telling Sasuke that she would come running if he needed her. The raven grimaced when she looked at him and giggled like the girls from his former school.

As soon as the nurse left, Sasuke tried to get out of bed, but his arms and back were aching.

"Ow!" the raven moaned, lying in bed again. "It hurts!"

Increasingly confused, Sasuke looked out the window. He could see several houses and trees in the distance, and the blue sea on the horizon.

In a flash, Sasuke remembered where he was. He and his father had come by boat to that island and got a house near the beach. Sasuke had been very happy to get to live so close to the sea... his dad had told him that there were dolphins and Sasuke couldn't wait to see one for the first time.

But why was he in the hospital?

Sasuke's thoughts were interrupted by a strong pressure on his belly. He had to pee... fast.

Plucking the weird strings that were glued to his forehead, Sasuke jumped out of bed and staggered. His legs ached a little bit... but also seemed strange, his arms too. The bed was also smaller than he was expecting.

After knocking twice, Hina entered the room again.

"You need anything, Sasuke-san?"

Sasuke leaned on the bed and stood up. It was strange... even the nurse seemed small.

"No!" the raven cried in exasperation. "I just want to go to the toilet."

Sasuke took a hand to his throat.  _What was wrong with his voice?_

Hina pointed to a door.

"It's there. If you need help, I can... "

"No! I can go alone!" Sasuke replied angry and outraged, moving towards the bathroom. Before closing the door, he looked at the nurse to make sure that she would not follow him. There was no way he was gonna let her see him pee!

While driving to the toilet, the raven saw that everything seemed smaller. The sink, the bathtub, even the toilet ... Was that how the children's bathrooms in the hospitals looked like?

Without wasting more time, Sasuke lifted the toilet seat and dropped his pants. When he finished, he looked down... and was baffled.

He had hair there! Lots of hairs!

"Ah... ah... what...?" the raven stammered.

"Sasuke-san? Is everything okay?" Hina asked the other side.

Sasuke ignored her and pulled his pants up again, moving away.

His hand slammed against something cold and hard... the sink. Sasuke stopped and looked at the mirror on top.

And he screamed.

"Sasuke-san!" Hina entered the bathroom, expecting to see Sasuke lying on the ground. But the raven was standing with both hands firmly resting on the sink and his black eyes fixed on his reflection.

Sasuke couldn't take his eyes of the grown-up boy reflected in the mirror. They were so much alike... they even had the same hairstyle and the same eyes.

Hina approached Sasuke and also appeared in the mirror's reflection.

"Sasuke-san... did you hurt yourself? Are you in pain?" the nurse asked.

Upon seeing her beside him, Sasuke widened his eyes even more. With a shaking hand, he touched his face... the boy in the mirror did the same. When his fingers reached the fingers of the other boy, he touched the cold and smooth surface of the mirror.

That was real... the big boy in the mirror was real...

The big boy ... was him!

"What happened to me?" Sasuke asked, looking at his body. "I'm... I'm big!"

Confused, Hina continued to observe him.

"Sasuke-san..."

"I'm a grown-up! I'm a big boy!" the raven cried, with his new deep and mature voice.

"You better lie down... I'll call the doctor..."

Sasuke didn't mind her, continuing to stare at his reflection and touching his face. It was then that the boy remembered what happened.

* * *

_Sasuke wanted to see the dolphins, but his father was too busy to go with_ _him. When the little raven said he could go alone, Naruto had gotten angry and said no. Then, he dragged Sasuke to the village to do some stupid shopping._

_When Sasuke saw ninjas (real ninjas!) he was so excited that he thought he was dreaming. He would finally learn how to be a shinobi like the heroes from the stories... but his dad stopped him._

_"I_ _don't want you to go with them" Naruto said, grabbing Sasuke's wrist and pulling him down the street._

_"But I want to go! I really, really_ _wanna go!" Sasuke pleaded._

_"You're too young. I won't let you go with strangers!" Naruto said._

_Sasuke was fuming. He was tired of never doing the things he wanted to do... his father was always telling what to do! It wasn't fair!_

_He was so angry that he broke, on purpose, five vases when they entered the store. But Naruto had spanked him, taken away his katana and grounded him as if he were a naughty little kid. Furious and humiliated, Sasuke left the store running, pushing the legs of the adults who stood in his way._

_When he was away from the store, Sasuke wiped his tears with the back of his hand. He was never going back! He hated his Dad! From now on, he was going to live alone and do whatever he wanted without anyone giving him orders._

_When he saw the ninjas in the village square, Sasuke smiled and ran towards them. A small crowd of onlookers had gathered to see them show off their ninja skills with kunai and shuriken._

_"J_ _oin us and will be able to do this and much more!" one of the ninja exclaimed, a large, muscular man who seemed to be very strong and brave. "Who wants to come? Who wants to become a shinobi?"_

_Sasuke crawled between the people's legs and managed to reach the front row._

_"I want to go!" the boy cried._

_The ninja looked at him for a few seconds before he burst out laughing._

_"Very funny, boy" the man said, still laughing. "Now go play."_

_Sasuke blushed._

_"I'm serious! Want to be a ninja and go with you!"_

_The other ninjas and even the people who were watching also laughed. Sasuke felt his eyes filling with tears again._

_"Go back to your mommy, boy" one of the ninjas said. "This isn't for small children. We don't want you to change your diaper!"_

_The sound of laughter rose, causing Sasuke to become increasingly flushed. Why wasn't anyone taking him seriously? Why were they laughing and making fun of him?_

_"I'm not small! I'm a grown-up!_ _" the boy shouted, unable to avoid the tears of shame._

_Everyone continued to stare and laugh at Sasuke. The raven haired boy could take no more and fled again, tears blinding his way. He only stopped when he tripped over a stone fell to the floor. Sobbing, the boy looked around and noticed he was in a deserted corner._

_Sasuke cried bitterly. He n_ _ever felt so humiliated in his entire life... the laughter of those people still echoed in his head. Nobody understood him... everyone treated him like he was a stupid little kid. Even his father!_

_If he were an adult, people wouldn't laugh at him. If he was a grown-up, he could become the most powerful ninja in the world and do whatever he wanted! If anyone tried to mess with him, he would beat them up until they begged for mercy._

_"Oh? You don't look so well. "_

_Sasuke blinked and looked back. A man dressed in a black cloak was leaning against the wall. Despite his face being hidden by the hood, Sasuke knew the man was staring at him._

_"Who_ _... who are you?" the boy asked, sniffling._

_"I'm just a traveler" the man said softly. "I like to see places and people... I also saw those people laugh at you. It wasn't nice... "_

_Sasuke snorted again and nodded._

_"They shouldn'_ _t have made fun you" the man continued. "You just wanted be a ninja like them."_

_"Yeah_ _..."_

_"I bet you're very sad."_

_"They laughed at me_ _..." the boy whimpered. "They didn't let me train with them... and I want to train. Everyone says I'm too small but I am not! I'm already a big boy! And I want to be a ninja!"_

_Under the black hood, the man smiled._

_"A ninja, eh? And what kind of ninja would you like to be? "_

_"Eh_ _... a very strong and cool ninja! Tall too! I wish... I was a grown-up..." muttered Sasuke._

_The man walked away from the wall and moved towards the child._

_"What if I told you I can make your wish come true?"_

_Sasuke's eyes widened._

_"What?"_

_"What if I told you that I can turn you into a very, very powerful grown-up ninja?"_

_Sasuke continued to stare at the man, astounded. Was it really possible? Could he really turn into a grown-up ninja?_

_"You can do that_ _? Really?"_

_"Sure I can_ _... if that is what you really want."_

_Sasuke looked at his scratched hands. They were so small and weak ... just like him. He was small and weak, that was why no one paid him any attention. If he were an adult, no one would ever laugh at him or tell him what to do ever again._

_"Yes_ _" said the boy, firmly. "I want to be a big and strong ninja! So strong that nobody can beat me! And I wish Tou-chan would leave me alone forever!"_

_In the blink of an eye, the man was right next to Sasuke._

_"That was just what I wanted to hear... Sasuke-kun."_

_Sasuke opened his mouth to ask him how he knew his name, but he felt a sting in his neck. Suddenly, his vision became blurred._

_"It will be interesting, Sasuke-kun" the man said. "And who knows? Maybe you can finally make Naruto-kun disappear. "_

_With his head increasingly heavy, Sasuke fell into the darkness._

* * *

Hina called another nurse and asked her to call the doctor. Sasuke continued to stare at his hands, they were a lot bigger now... and he was tall! He was taller than the giggling nurse.

"It worked! That mister was telling the truth... I'm a big boy now! "

When the doctor arrived, he forced Sasuke to make all kinds of tests and asked him many questions. When the raven told them he had been turned into a big boy by a wizard, the doctors looked at him like he was crazy and told him that he was confused.

"No, I'm not!" Sasuke shouted, tired of being stuck in that stupid hospital. "I was little before, but I made a wish and a wizard turned me into a big boy. It's the truth! "

The doctors looked at each other. There was no doubt that the teen was delirious. They would have to wait for the test results, but they all expected to find brain damage.

"Okay, Sasuke... can I make you some questions?" one of the doctors asked.

Sasuke looked at her with an angry gaze.

"Again? I want to leave" the boy demanded. "I'm tired of being here!"

"I know... but it's just a few more questions. Then you can go, okay? What is your name?"

"Uzumaki Sasuke."

The doctor wrote in her notebook.

"Ok... and where do you live?"

"In a house near the beach... me and my Tou-chan just got here."

The doctor frowned. Sasuke was talking about his father again, when they had information that he had no family. Could he be repressing some traumatic memory?

"Hm-hm... and how old are you?"

"I'm five" the teenager said.

The doctor looked at the handsome teenager's face, noticing his innocent and childlike gaze. In his mind, Sasuke was not lying. He really believed he was five years old.

After lunch, Sasuke became frustrated when he was forced to return to his room and told to rest. He didn't want to rest, he was too excited! Finally he was an adult... well ... a big boy and could do anything he wanted.

Opening a closet, Sasuke found some black pants, a dark blue sweater with a raised collar and black sandals. They were the clothes he was wearing when he was brought to the hospital, but they had been cleaned and ironed.

Wasting no time, Sasuke pulled his hospital pajamas and put on the clothes, they fit like a glove.

The raven could not sit still, walking from one side to another room to exercise his new body. He felt very strong! When he looked back at his reflection in the mirror, he was also happy because he looked really cool.

Increasingly excited about what had happened, Sasuke approached the window and opened it. No way would he be stuck there! With a little jump, he left the room and landed in the hospital garden. Before they noticed his absence, he ran until he reached a crowded road. He was free and could do whatever he wanted! No one was ever going to tell him what to do!

For hours, Sasuke walked through the city. It was so cool to be able to go wherever he wanted without asking permission! And people did not stopped him to ask where were his parents were, they left him alone.

Already tired of walking, the raven sat on a bench in the town square. To his disappointment, the ninjas were not there, he'd have to look for them. This time, they wouldn't laugh at him!

Down the street, Sasuke saw something that caught his attention. It was a toy store.

"Wow!" boy exclaimed, walking to the crowded store with children and parents.

Sasuke felt he was in heaven. There were so many toys and so many sweets! The raven moved through the store, holding various toys before leaving them for others that seemed even more spectacular. But what most impressed him was a huge wooden castle, with a city inside and full of action figures.

Sasuke was about to take it when a kid came to him.

"This is it! This is the castle!" the boy shrieked. Sasuke thought the little boy should be his age... his  _real_  age. "I want this one!"

Defensive, Sasuke took the castle of the shelf and walked away.

"No. I got it first, the castle is mine. "

The boy looked at Sasuke, genuinely confused.

"Huh? But you're a grown-up" replied the boy. "The grown-ups don't play with toys."

Sasuke pressed the castle against himself.

"Shut up! I saw it first! "

"But sir... I really want it..." the child whimpered. "It's my birthday present ..."

"Ichigo" a man called, moving towards them. "Ichigo, you find the castle?"

Ichigo looked at him with his tearful eyes.

"Daddy... this mister took it first..."

The man looked at Sasuke, making him feel nervous.

"Ichigo, if he got it first it is fair" the man said.

Ichigo began to cry softly. Suddenly, Sasuke felt very bad and also felt like crying... but he remembered that he couldn't. He wasn't a little boy like Ichigo anymore... he was a big boy and big boys don't cry.

And big boys don't play with toys...

"Here" Sasuke said, handing the castle to Ichigo. "You can have it..."

Ichigo looked at the toy and smiled with glee, holding the castle.

"Thank you! Thank you, sir!"

Ichigo's father also looked at Sasuke with a smile.

"Thank you. He's been asking for this castle for months... I hope you can find another toy as a gift."

Before Sasuke could answer back, father and son moved away with a smile, leaving the raven suddenly sad. He couldn't play with toys more... he couldn't even play with the other children.

Depressed, Sasuke left the toy store and concentrated on finding the ninjas. He walked for hours but could not find them anywhere. When he finally got the courage to ask a fisherman about the ninjas who were in the village square, the old man laughed and told him they had had left a long time ago.

Sasuke couldn't believe it... they were gone? What now? What would he do? How was he going to become a ninja?

Near sunset, the raven's stomach was growling, realizing that he hadn't eaten anything since lunch. Walking through the village streets, he felt the scent of food and ran into a restaurant.

More lively, Sasuke walked to the window and peered inside. Several people were having dinner, sitting in small square tables with various dishes of food before them. When his stomach growled again, Sasuke entered the restaurant.

A girl dressed as a maid nearly dropped her food tray when she saw him come in. It was the cutest boy she'd seen! She could not miss the opportunity.

"Welcome, you've come for dinner?" she asked.

Sasuke looked at the food that other people were eating and agreed.

"You came alone?" the maid asked. "Or are you waiting for someone? Maybe your girlfriend..."

"Huh? No! I don't have a girlfriend" Sasuke said, not noticing the stars in the girl's eyes.

A couple walked by and headed for the cashier to pay for their order. Sasuke's eyes widened and he thrust his hands into his pockets. He had no money...

"Is there a problem?" the maid asked.

"I... I don't have any money..." the raven said, feeling increasingly frustrated and not knowing what to do. He couldn't eat without money to pay. Also, he couldn't just eat and run, that was stealing!

Seeing that Sasuke was ready to leave, the maid intervened.

"Wait!" cried she. "My shift is almost over, and then I'm going to a party with my friends on the beach. There will be lots of food and drink... why don't you come with me? "

Sasuke looked at the girl. He didn't know her and she had invited him to a party? The grown-up kids did that? They weren't even friends!

"A party?" Sasuke asked, confused. "And your friends don't mind? I don't know them... "

"They're cool and it'll be fun! Come on, what do you say? You can eat whatever you want for free! "

Sasuke was very hungry and it was getting dark. Not knowing what else to do, the raven nodded.

"Great! Wait outside for just a minute while I take this uniform out. My name is Asuka. What's your name? "

"Sasuke..."

"Okay, Sasuke-kun. I'll be right back! "

Sasuke left the restaurant and waited for Asuka. When she returned, she had a really short top and a miniskirt. When she approached Sasuke, she grabbed his arm.

"Shall we?" Asuka said with a beaming smile.

"Uh... okay..."

Although Sasuke tried to free himself, Asuka grabbed his arm firmly. Sasuke didn't want her to disinvite him, so he said nothing. When they reached the shore, a group of boys and girls were seated around a huge bonfire.

Asuka laid her head on Sasuke's shoulder.

"Hi guys! Sorry I'm late!" Asuka said, approaching her friends.

The girls looked at Sasuke and sighed.

"Who have you brought, Asuka?" one of the girls asked, very interested.

"This is Sasuke. He's new here... you don't mind that he'll join us, do you? "

All girls immediately exclaimed that they didn't mind and forced Sasuke to sit in their midst. The boys, however, didn't seem so happy about his arrival.

When they began eating, Sasuke felt confused and embarrassed. Those boys and girls were his " _age"_ , but he didn't get them... When he went to a party or to the park, he played with other children and made up games. But those teens just sat on the sand laughing, yelling and talking about things that Sasuke didn't understand.

The girls didn't let go of him. They all introduced themselves and told him what their zodiac signs were (who wants to know this?), what they liked to do in their free time, etc... They're never quiet! Even the boys were different from the children he used to play with. They only spoke of girls, boobies and other words that he didn't know yet! That was so boring!

One of the boys, Jin, didn't stop staring at Sasuke since he had arrived with Asuka. Jin had come to the party on purpose to try his luck with the girls. He thought that if one of them was drunk enough, she would not refuse to go behind a dune with him and spend a good time in the sand.

But the arrival of that dude ruined everything! Who did he think he was, with that cool and serious look? He probably thought he was the manliest man on the island with all the hotties around his feet.

That guy had to learn who was boss.

Clutching an empty bottle, Jin threw it against Sasuke. Fortunately, the raven could move away and the bottle fell several feet from him.

"Jin!" Asuka yelled. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Relax... I was just kidding with the new guy."

Sasuke looked at him angrily.

"You threw me a bottle! That's not funny!" Sasuke replied. When Jin laughed in his face, the raven had a sudden urge to smack him.

"Really? Because I think it was hilarious!" Jin said, with a smirk, throwing another bottle.

Sasuke moved away again. When he looked back at Jin, he was still griming.

"Oops... butterfingers..."

Before Jin was done speaking, Sasuke punched him right in the face. The young man fell to the ground and took his hand to his wounded cheek.

The other boys were silent. How did the new boy move so quickly?

"Motherfucker!" Jin growled, throwing himself against Sasuke.

The raven didn't know how, but it was as if his body could anticipate all of Jin's punches, who didn't even managed to touch him. With an agility that he was unaware he had, Sasuke kicked Jin in the stomach, making him fall, moaning in the sand.

The other guys started yelling and incited Jin to get up. The girls seemed more attracted to Sasuke than ever. However, Sasuke wasn't happy with this. It wasn't fun! He didn't want to fight anyone... he didn't even do or said anything wrong!

"Come on, Sasuke-kun" Asuka said, grabbing him by the arm. Eager to leave, Sasuke followed her without hesitation.

Asuka stood beneath a wooden bridge.

"I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun. That Jin is a total jerk..."

"Yeah... Why he threw me a bottle? I didn't do anything to him! "

"He's an asshole, forget him... I'm sorry you didn't have fun at the party..."

Sasuke nodded. He was waiting for games that only the grown-up kids could play but they hadn't done anything cool.

"But we can have fun… just the two of us" Asuka said, taking two small bottles of her bag.

Sasuke looked at her with a puzzled expression.

"Just the two of us?" the raven asked. What kind of game did she want to play? A game with only two people didn't seem like much fun.

Asuka smiled at him and gave him one of the small bottles.

"What is this?" Sasuke asked.

"It's sake, silly. I took it from my father's closet in secret. "

Sasuke's eyes widened. Sake was an adult drink! Children could never drink it! It should be amazing!

"Well... Cheers!" Asuka said, drinking the liquor.

Excited to be drinking a beverage that had always been forbidden to him, Sasuke swallowed all at once.

"AH!" the raven cried.

Sasuke folded over his stomach and began to cough. That was... horrible! It tasted so bad and it burned! It was like his throat was on fire. How were the grown-ups fond of it? Besides, he was feeling dizzy...

"Asuka...?" Sasuke mumbled, feeling his head spin.

Asuka continued smiling, and stared at Sasuke with a seductive gaze. She was already used to to alcohol, so she had no trouble to drink another bottle.

"Let's have fun... Sasuke-kun?" Asuka asked, her cheeks flushed. The alcohol was beginning to take effect.

Sasuke had to lean on a wooden beam, he felt worse and worse.

"What... are we gonna do?" the raven asked.

Asuka didn't wait and threw herself into his arms. They both fell on the sand, Asuka over Sasuke. The raven was increasingly confused... what kind of game was that?

"Asuka?"

"Shh... Don't say anything ..." Asuka whispered, inebriated. "God! You're so handsome..." and she kissed him passionately on the mouth.

The raven's eyes widened. What was she doing? He didn't want her to kiss him! When Asuka's tongue got inside Sasuke's mouth, the raven pushed her.

"What are you doing?" the boy asked, confused and disgusted.

Asuka continued to smile.

"Come on... don't tell me you didn't like it."

"Get off me!"

But the girl laughed, grabbed him by the neck and kissed him again. Sasuke felt the taste of sake in her mouth and almost gagged when her tongue touched his. He just wanted her to stop ... that was wrong... she had no right to touch him that way!

Sasuke was ready to pull her again when Asuka's hand slipped inside his pants.

"STOP!" the raven cried, pushing Asuka so hard that she fell away from him.

"Ow! Weirdo!" the girl shrieked. "You big freak!"

Sasuke got up and ran without stopping to the already dark streets of the village. He only stopped when he felt his stomach in circles, forcing him to kneel on the floor and vomited.

The boy was devastated. That wasn't fun or cool. Being a grown up wasn't anything he had imagined ... he couldn't do what he wanted: he couldn't play with toys or other children because he was too big, he couldn't buy candy or food that he liked because he had no money, he didn't even understood the grown kids...

Still coughing, Sasuke stood up and looked at the dark and frightening streets. He had no home or a room with a warm bed to sleep on. He would have to sleep on the street. He was all alone... it was cold and dark and he would have to sleep on the street alone.

"I wanna go home..." Sasuke groaned, feeling the tears blur his vision. "This isn't fun anymore. I wanna go home... Tou-chan..."

A door opened and an elderly man came out to throw out the garbage. It was then that his old eyes were fixed on the pale and crying teen, leaning against the wall of his shop. He looked sick and scared...

"You okay, young man?" the old man asked, approaching Sasuke.

Sasuke looked at the old man, still nervous.

"Are you sick?" the old man asked.

Sasuke snorted and continued to stare at the man. He couldn't stop crying, he was cold, scared and wanted to go home...

"Maemi!" the old man called. After a few seconds, an old woman came dressed in a small and beautiful blue kimono.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well... I remember the first time I drank a vodka shot... God! I thought my ears were on fire! I suppose sake is pretty strong too, specially to those who aren't used to drink alchool.


	11. Reunited

**Reunited**

再会  _(Saikai)_

Half an hour later, Sasuke was next to a heater with a blanket over his shoulders and a cup of tea in hand.

The elderly couple lived on the floor above the shop where they worked. Seeing the teenager in the street, looking sick and unhappy, they didn't hesitate to bring him into the store until he pulled himself together. There was something in the raven's eyes... something different that told them that he was more fragile than he seemed.

He reminded them of a lost child.

In turn, Sasuke drank the tea with small sips, sniffing occasionally. He was already feeling a little better but he was still scared. I didn't know what to do or where to go.

"Are you feeling better, boy?" the old man asked.

Sasuke nodded and drank another sip of tea.

Maemi landed the teapot on top of a table and smiled at him sweetly.

"There's no need to hurry, honey" the old lady said gently. "Take as much time as you need."

"Thank you..." Sasuke said quietly.

While drinking tea, the raven looked around and noticed that the store sold a little of everything: from food to clothing, and even decorative vases.

Blinking, Sasuke's onyx eyes were focused on an empty shelf of the store who seemed very familiar... it was the shelf where the vases he broke with his katana had been! That was the same store!

"The vases..." stammered the raven, staring at the empty shelf.

"Oh! There were five crystal vases on that shelf, but we still haven't replaced them" Maemi explained. "A boy broke them all in a tantrum... then he disappeared."

Sasuke stared at Maemi with a surprised expression.

"Disappeared?"

"Oh, yes..." the old lady said. "His father looked for him everywhere, but he couldn't find him."

Sasuke grasped his cup of tea tighter.

"Because he wanted to punish him..." the boy stammered, staring at the floor.

"What? No! It wasn't that at all, he was worried sick!" Maemi exclaimed. Sasuke looked back at her. "That poor young man searched for his son day and night without stopping. He was so upset and miserable; it broke my heart to see him like that. "

Sasuke couldn't believe his ears. Daddy was looking for him? He was very worried about him? But... he had been so angry when Sasuke broke the vases, he even spanked him! The raven thought that Naruto wouldn't want to see him ever again after that…

"It was such a shame..." Maemi's husband commented. "Poor Naruto... even with the entire village helping, no one could find the boy. Sorry to say, but he must have drowned at sea. It wouldn't be the first time it happened. "

"Drowned?" Sasuke repeated, dumbfounded. They thought he had drowned? Even his Tou-chan? "Where is he now?"

"Huh? He who? "

"Tou… Naruto! Where is he? Is he still looking?"

"Hm... I guess not... I haven't seen him in the village for a while now" Maemi said. "Even he had to give up and accept that his son died."

"I'm not dead!"

The elderly couple stared at him with wide eyes.

"What?" the old man asked, confused by Sasuke's unexplained behavior. "We didn't say that  _you_  died… we meant that young man's son."

Sasuke panicked. Daddy thought Sasuke was dead... but he wasn't!

Increasingly anxious, Sasuke stood up. He wanted to go home; he wanted to see Tou-chan!

"Are you leaving already?" Maemi asked.

"I have to go home" Sasuke said. "But... I don't know where to go... we live on the beach..."

"So you have to go up this street," Maemi's husband explained. "When you come to a path near the beach, you just have to go ahead. Beach houses are all there. "

Sasuke nodded, thanked them for the tea and ran up the street. He felt increasingly worried... he just wanted to go home and see his Daddy again. That was all that mattered!

When he reached the beach, Sasuke recognized the path he and his father had followed. He wasn't very far from home... just a little more...

Panting, the raven saw the red roof of the house they had rented. Despite being exhausted, Sasuke kept running, feeling increasingly happy to be so close.

When he finally arrived and approached the front door, the raven stopped. As he saw his bigger hand on the doorknob, he remembered that he wasn't a five year old kid anymore... he was a big boy now and looked very different.

What if his Papa didn't recognize him? What if he didn't believe him like the doctors at the hospital? What if he thought that Sasuke was lying and send him away?

Trembling, Sasuke pulled his hand from the doorknob. He was scared... but it was getting very cold outside and he didn't want to sleep on the beach alone.

With trembling fingers, Sasuke rang the bell.

Nothing happened... The boy rang the bell again and waited, but nobody came to the door.

"To... Tou-chan?" Sasuke called, noticing how his voice had changed more than ever. "Tou-chan? Are you there?"

Everything was silent. Sasuke felt his skin crawl when a cold breeze went past him.

"Papa? Papa, open the door!" Sasuke pleaded, more and more distressed. "It's me! Let me in... please... please, let me in... "

The house remained silent.

"Papa!" Sasuke shouted, placing his hand on the doorknob. To his astonishment, the door opened.

Tentatively, the raven went inside and closed the door behind him. The first thing he found strange was that house was so dark... why were the lights out?

"Papa?" the boy called again, getting the same silence. "Papa? Are you home?"

Groping along the wall, Sasuke finally found the switch and turned on the hall light. As he took a few steps, his foot struck against something on the floor... it was broken glass from a photo frame. The boy bowed and picked up the photo that was among the glasses... it was the photo he'd taken with his father when he was a baby.

"Why is the photo here on the floor?" Sasuke asked, taking off his sandals and moving to the kitchen which was also empty.

When he got up the stairs, the dark-haired boy gasped. The living room was destroyed! The sofas, desk and the bookcase were all burned. The walls were black and one window was broken, letting in the wind into the house.

What had happened?

"Papa!" Sasuke yelled, running up the stairs. His nervousness had been replaced by fear. "Papa, where are you?"

Sasuke opened the door to his room. The bed was unmade, but all his things were still there, tidy. Then, the raven came to Naruto's room. His daddy's bed was unmade as well, and his pajamas were still on it... all his father's things were still in the room, even the picture of grandpa and grandma were on the bedside table.

With his lips trembling, Sasuke sat up in the bed. He couldn't avoid his tears when his Daddy's familiar scent came to his nostrils. What had happened? Why was the house empty? Why was the living room destroyed? Why was his picture broken? Who had done this? Who had taken his Daddy away?

Sasuke didn't mind being punished until the summer, or losing his katana... all he wanted was for his Daddy to come home.

"Papa... where are you?" the boy sobbed, pressing his photo against his chest.

_**"I hate you! I wish you were gone!"** _

As he reminisced about what he had said at the store, Sasuke's eyes widened. Eventually, he also remembered what he had said when he talked with the wizard.

_**"What if I told you that I can turn you into a very, very powerful grown-up ninja?"** _

_**"You can do that? Really?"** _

_**"Sure I can... if that is what you really want."** _

_**"Yes.** _ _**I want to be a big and strong ninja! So strong that nobody can beat me! And I wish Tou-chan would leave me alone forever!"** _

"No ... I didn't mean it..." the raven gasped. "I wasn't..."

 _**"It will be interesting, Sasuke-kun** _ _**. And who knows? Maybe you can finally make Naruto-kun disappear. "** _

"No! That's not what I wanted!" Sasuke shouted, completely horrified. He had made a wish and the wizard had made it come true... he had become a big boy and his father vanished.

It was his fault.  _He_  had made Naruto disappear because of his stupid wish.

In grief, the child in the teen's body got out of bed and looked out the window. The sky was clear and full of stars.

"Please... please, bring my Tou-chan back" the boy asked, hoping that the wizard or someone was listening. "I don't want to be a grown-up anymore... I want everything to be the way it was... Please..."

Sasuke begged for a long time, until he was too exhausted and hoarse to speak. Crying, he dragged himself to his Daddy's bed and lay down, pulling up the sheets over himself.

He had been so stupid. Whenever he read a story where someone was duped by a witch, a wizard or a monster, Sasuke always thought that would never happen to him because he was too smart and would not be fooled. But he was as dumb as the idiots from the stories and had been tricked.

Completely exhausted, both physically and emotionally, Sasuke fell asleep, his tears wetting the pillow.

* * *

When Naruto regained consciousness, it was as if he had swum for hours in a lake full of fog until he found a light. His head was heavy and his eyes ached.

"So? You're already awake?"

Naruto rubbed his puffy eyes and looked away. It took a few seconds until his vision was properly focused on the two women who were watching him.

"Baa-chan...?" the blond Jinchūriki murmured, feeling his tongue as dry as a desert.

"Welcome back, Naruto" Tsunade continued. "How you feeling?"

Naruto sat up in bed with his back to the cushion

"Dizzy..." Naruto replied.

"Well ... that's normal. Does anything hurt?"

Naruto shook his head. He didn't feel pain, but it was as if his body was too rigid. All his joints popped when he stirred.

"What happened?" the blond asked.

Tsunade and Shizune exchanged worried glances. They couldn't hide the truth from Naruto any longer; it was time for him to know.

"You saved Sasuke" the Hokage said. "You defeated Kirin with Rasenshuriken."

Naruto's blue eyes widened immediately, as the memory of what happened on the rocks returned. He remembered having launched the Rasenshuriken against Kirin... after that, there had been a huge explosion of light and he grabbed Sasuke to protect him from the shock wave.

"Sasuke!" Naruto exclaimed, trying to get out of bed. "Is he okay? Is he hurt? "

Tsunade looked at Shizune.

"Tell him, Shizune" the Hokage ordered softly. "He has to know."

"Know what?" Naruto asked, troubled. "What happened to him? Is he okay? "

Shizune gained courage and looked at Naruto in the eyes.

"Sasuke-kun is in a coma" the assistant revealed, before Naruto appalled face. "He wasn't hurt, you protect him from the blast... but something happened to his brain. We suspect it was Kabuto's drugs... he fell asleep and didn't wake up again. "

Naruto didn't want to wait any longer and got out of bed. When he looked at the little window of his room and saw the familiar faces of the Hokage carved into the mountain, he was baffled.

"I'm in Konoha? How? Why?"

"You almost died, Naruto" Tsunade said, ready for the blonds' wrath. "You can't even imagine the amount of injuries you had and how much blood you lost. You had to be treated by a ninja medical team immediately. So I brought you to Konoha... "

Naruto was torn between gratitude and apprehension.

"And Sasuke?" asked Naruto. "Did you bring him too?"

"No... Sasuke was hospitalized on the island" revealed the Hokage. "Shizune visits him regularly."

Naruto blinked.

" _Regularly?_  How long was I unconscious? "

Tsunade sighed.

"A week... I had to sedate you."

" _What?_  You sedated me? Why? Sasuke is in a coma while I was sleeping here! "

"You needed time to recover!" the Hokage said, angry. "I knew you would have gone to Sasuke even with your injuries... your life was at risk! Even if you were to see Sasuke at the hospital, there is nothing you can do for him!"

"I could have stayed with him!" Naruto yelled. "He is all alone!"

"He's in a coma! He would be alone with or without your company! If you didn't fully recover, you could have died and that wouldn't wake Sasuke up. I did what I had to do to keep you alive, Uzumaki Naruto" Tsunade fought back with fervor. "And I swear I would do it again!"

Naruto had never seen the Hokage so anxious before, so he made an effort to calm down. Getting angry wouldn't change what happened... besides, Tsunade just wanted to save his life.

"Sorry, Baa-chan..." Naruto said, calmer. "But... I have to go to Sasuke, even if he doesn't wake up. I have to stay by him!"

Also quieter, Tsunade nodded.

"I know... that's why we stopped giving you sedatives. You're already strong enough to be discharged" the blonde Hokage said. "Fukasaku-sama is already outside waiting for you. Shizune will also go, so dress up and make sure nobody sees you. "

"Hai!" Naruto exclaimed as the two medical ninjas left the room.

* * *

Naruto had to use his whole self control to not rush to the hospital when Fukasaku made them appear on the island. The terror he felt was increasing with every step he took.

Shizune had already spoken to him about what to expect from Sasuke. A coma was grave, and even if Sasuke were to wake up, nobody would know how his brain was. The raven's mind had deteriorated a lot... After a coma, nobody could guess how it would be.

Naruto knew he had to prepare for the worst, and although he didn't know how he was going to do it, he would have to deal with it. But one thing was certain, he would not leave Sasuke. He wasn't going to lose him again... his rival, his comrade, his best friend... his son.

Sasuke was his son whether he remembered it or not.

When they entered the hospital, Shizune was going to take him to the doctor's office, but Naruto asked her to go and see the raven first. Looking at Naruto's worried face, Shizune could not say no, so they went to the reception.

"Good morning" Shizune greeted. "We came to visit Sasuke."

The receptionist's eyes widened.

"Oh... well... I... wait a moment... I need to call the doctor..."

"What happened?" Naruto asked, noticing that something was wrong.

"The doctor will explain everything," said the receptionist, nervous. "Wait a moment, please..."

"What happened to Sasuke?" Naruto shouted, causing everyone in the waiting room to look at him.

The receptionist trembled.

"The patient awoke from the coma" the receptionist replied, waiting for the doctor to arrive.

Shizune and Naruto eyes widened in disbelief.

"He woke up?" Shizune asked. "When?"

"Yesterday morning... Oh! Doctor! "

Sasuke's doctor came running, his white coat waving.

"Shizune-san... we wanted to contact you sooner..." the doctor said.

"Doctor! Sasuke-kun woke up? "Shizune interrupted.

"Yes... yesterday, around eight o'clock in the morning."

"Is he alright?" Shizune asked.

The doctor took a deep breath before speaking.

"He spoke with us and was able to move alone, which are good signs... yet ... he seemed very confused and perhaps even delusional... our psychiatrist believes he suffers from amnesia."

Naruto gasped. He was relieved to know that Sasuke was awake, but if he was delirious that meant Kabuto's drugs continued to destroy his brain.

"Can we see him?" Shizune asked.

The doctor turned pale as the coat he was wearing.

"Unfortunately no… He... he fled the hospital yesterday. "

"WHAT?" Shizune and Naruto yelled at the same time.

"He had just awakened from a coma... he was not supposed to have the strength to walk so we let him into his room to rest. When the nurse came to see him, ten minutes later, he was gone" the doctor said, very shaken. "The pajamas were on the floor, the clothes he brought when he was hospitalized had disappeared and the bedroom window was open... I'm so sorry..."

Naruto didn't want to hear any more and ran out of the hospital, followed by a very agitated Shizune.

* * *

When Sasuke woke up, it took him a few minutes to remember what happened the day before. After all, he was lying in his Daddy's bed and felt safe and relaxed. He almost expected to hear him call Sasuke to go have breakfast. Only when the raven stretched and his feet tapped against the bottom of the bed, he realized something was different.

Fully awake, Sasuke lifted the sheets and looked at his tall and slightly muscular body.

"Oh, no..." the raven gasped. It wasn't a dream after all... it was real...

Sasuke would have stayed in bed, he didn't feel like getting up and lying on his father's bed made him feel closer to him, but his empty stomach had other ideas. So Sasuke crawled into the kitchen and ate all he could get.

The empty house made Sasuke feel uneasy, he never stayed home alone before. It was also the first time he had slept alone. Maybe he should feel proud about it, but couldn't... he felt sad and alone.

All drawings he had made were still stuck on the fridge, including the card he made with Mayura-sensei's help. Seeing them just made Sasuke feel even worse…

With an empty gaze, Sasuke buried his face in his hands.

* * *

Naruto was so nervous that it took him several minutes to get into Sage Mode. Fear froze his guts when he couldn't feel Sasuke's chakra in the village.

Realizing his panic, Shizune approached.

"Try to calm yourself, Naruto-kun" she said. "Sasuke-kun couldn't have gone far..."

"Yes... You're right ..." the blond answered, trying to sense Sasuke's chakra, increasing the search area.

His orange eyes widened suddenly.

"Naruto-kun? Did you find him? "

"Yeah..." Naruto said, in disbelief. "He's… at home."

"What? He fled to the house? Are you sure?"

"I'm absolutely sure" Naruto said, jumping onto the nearest roof. Shizune sighed and followed Naruto, though she was quickly left behind.

Naruto didn't know what to think... why did Sasuke return to the house? Did he still remember that the two of them lived there?

At the beach house door, Naruto lost Sage Mode. Shizune would still need some time to reach him, therefore, and after taking a deep breath, the blond entered his home slowly. Everything was silent... Naruto thought of calling for Sasuke, but maybe that wasn't a good idea. What if the raven didn't remember Naruto? He could get nervous or angry and try to escape. The best thing was to act with caution...

Naruto was about to climb the stairs when he heard a groan. With his heart pounding, the blond walked into the kitchen and froze. Sasuke sat at the table, staring at his hands with a blank and distant stare. Not knowing what to do, Naruto dared not breathe. It merely looked at the raven, like someone who watches a bird and doesn't want to drive it off. However, his breathing betrayed him and Naruto sighed.

Sasuke blinked and looked at the kitchen door. The moment his onyx eyes met those of Naruto, the raven turned pale. It was like he was seeing a ghost.

For a while, neither said nor did nothing, merely staring at each other. Until Naruto blinked and his brain was able to connect to his mouth.

"Sasuke?" the blond asked slowly and almost inaudibly.

The raven's eyes grew and his mouth opened in amazement. Then everything happened very quickly.

Sasuke got up so quickly that the chair fell to the ground. Before Naruto could react, the raven ran towards him and threw himself against him, both falling to the ground.

"Ow!" Naruto exclaimed, completely astonished. "What...?"

Naruto's first thought was that Sasuke was attacking him, but soon he realized that the raven had his arms around Naruto's waist and his face buried in his shoulder. After a few seconds, Naruto heard the unmistakable sound of crying and sobbing.

Sasuke was crying.

"Sasuke?" Naruto asked, carefully.

In response, Sasuke clung to Naruto's sweater tighter.

"You came back... You came back..." the raven sobbed.

Shizune got into the house and faced with an unexpected scene. Without saying a word, the assistant and Naruto exchanged looks of confusion. What was wrong with Sasuke? The doctors had said that he had amnesia... but apparently the raven not only remembered Naruto but was also very relieved to see him.

"I looked for you..." the teen continued, amidst the sobs. "I came home... and I called for you... but you weren't here... I thought you disappeared... I was scared..."

Recovering from the shock, Naruto put a hand on Sasuke's back.

"I didn't disappear" said the blond, still not sure what to do. "It's okay."

"I messed up" Sasuke groaned. "Sorry... I'm sorry..."

The blond could not understand what Sasuke was apologizing for. Could it be for his suicide attempt?

Naruto let Sasuke cry until he calmed down. Gradually the raven's sobs became weaker, but his hug was still tight, as if he was afraid that Naruto would go away if he let go.

* * *

Sasuke couldn't believe it. His Daddy was back! He wasn't gone forever! The raven was so happy he thought he was still sleeping and was afraid of to wake up, so he kept clinging to his father, feeling his familiar embrace.

"You... ah... are you feeling better?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke looked at him and blinked. Naruto was staring at him in a weird way... he had never looked at Sasuke that way before. He wasn't even smiling...

It was then that Sasuke noticed that he was too big now; he didn't even fit his father's lap. Maybe... maybe Naruto didn't want him anymore. When the kids grow up, they leave home. Sasuke was a grown up now... What if Naruto didn't want to be his Daddy anymore because he was too old? What if he told him to leave?

Increasingly alarmed, Sasuke dropped Naruto and walked away, the blond was even more confused.

"Sasuke? What was it?" Naruto asked, noticing the sudden fear in the raven's eyes.

But Sasuke looked away, he couldn't look at Daddy and heard him say that he had to leave. The rejection was impossible to bear.

"Sasuke... I... Did I say something wrong?" Naruto asked, but Sasuke couldn't face him. "Listen... maybe you should go back to the hospital..."

Sasuke gasped and felt new tears running down his face. He was right; his father was sending him away. He was too old to be his son now.

Heartbroken, Sasuke nodded and stood up. The raven went through Naruto and walked to the door. As he passed by Shizune, the medical ninja smiled at him.

"It will be okay, Sasuke-kun" she said, trying to encourage him.

But Sasuke looked at the floor before opening the front door. With his lips trembling, Sasuke turned around and looked at Naruto one last time.

"Bye… Tou-chan..." Sasuke said.

"What?" Naruto yelled, with his eyes very wide while Shizune gasped. "What did you say?"

Feeling his legs trembling with fear, Sasuke looked away again. Naruto hated him so much that he didn't even want him to call him "father" anymore.

"I'm sorry... I... I won't call you that again..." the raven murmured, ready to leave.

Naruto got up and ran to Sasuke, grabbing him by the shoulders so they were face to face.

"Sasuke..." Naruto said, very slowly and carefully. "You called me  _Tou-chan_?"

Sasuke nodded.

"You remember me?" Naruto asked, feeling his heart beating faster and harder than ever. "You know who I am?"

It was Sasuke's turn to stare in confusion. Why was his Dad asking him if he remembered him?

"Papa? Why are you asking me this?"

Naruto lips quivered and the blond squeezed Sasuke against his chest. The raven couldn't understand...

When Naruto began to cry just like Sasuke had just moments before, the raven became even more upset.

"Papa? Papa, what's wrong?" Sasuke asked. He couldn't understand why Naruto was crying. Was it because of him? "Please don't be sad…"

"I'm not sad" Naruto said, wiping his tears to his sleeve. "I'm very happy."

Seeing his father smiling, Sasuke felt a glimmer of hope.

"I'm sorry I broke the vases… I'm really sorry" the raven apologized. "You can ground me... I don't mind… just… please, don't send me away."

"What? No! I'm not going to send you away!" Naruto exclaimed.

Sasuke blinked. Naruto's behavior had completely changed, but he didn't seem angry with him. So, timidly, Sasuke hugged his Daddy back.

"Papa… I think I made a very big mistake…" Sasuke confessed, with his head still buried in Naruto's shoulder.

"What did you do?" Naruto asked.

"You're not gonna believe me…"

"Try me" Naruto answered with a reassuring smile.

With his cheeks flushed, Sasuke told them everything it happened since he ran away from the shop.

* * *

Naruto listened patiently as his son told him about Kabuto (or the wizard, as he put it). The blond tried very hard not to yell when Sasuke told him he had drank a whole bottle of sake, the boy seemed traumatized enough. It was scary to think that his five year old child had been alone all day in the village. Having a sixteen year old body wasn't helping! God knows what a crazy fan girl could do to him. Sasuke was too good-looking for his own good.

After talking, Sasuke went to his room while Shizune told Naruto she was going to call Tsunade to check up Sasuke's health. As far as they knew, the raven could only remember what had happened before Kabuto showed up. All his other memories were gone once more. However, they still had a huge problem: Naruto's five year old son was trapped in a sixteen year old body!

"Man… what a mess…" Naruto whispered, lying in his bed.

"Ah?"

Naruto looked to his right. Sasuke was at his door, half hidden and red like a seasoned tomato.

"Hey!" Naruto greeted. "What's up?"

The raven haired boy blushed even more and looked away.

"Tou-chan? I can still… call you that?" the boy asked.

Naruto got up and sat on his unmade bed.

"Of course you can. I'm still your Dad."

Still, Sasuke didn't look at his face. It was strange to see him so shy and childlike, but Naruto didn't mind.

"But I'm…" the boy hesitated. "I'm too old now… I'm too big."

"You'll never be too big" Naruto said with a smile. "Come here."

Sasuke hesitated for a moment, but when Naruto opened his arms, the boy walked immediately towards his lap. The raven felt big and awkward, but Naruto still hugged him like he used to.

"See?" the blond said. "You still fit!"

Sasuke smiled shyly and curled up against his Daddy's chest. Fortunately, he was still smaller than Naruto, despite being eleven years older.

"Papa?"

"Huh?"

"When I said that I hated you… I didn't mean it" Sasuke said. "I was just angry."

Naruto smiled again.

"I know."

Sasuke clung to his Dad's shirt. He was happy to have his Daddy back, but he was still scared.

"Papa? I wanna change back" Sasuke said, embarrassed by his adult voice. "I don't want to be a grown-up anymore."

Naruto could only cradle his son harder.

 


End file.
